The skull and the flame
by mewsugarpudd
Summary: Leo decides to try and befriend Nico after realising that maybe they have some things in common. Join the two as they battle monsters, memories and nightmares and try to deal with the general chaos that comes with being teenage demigods on a quest to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

Just a cute, possibly angsty Leo and Nico friendship fic. No one is in Tartarus and Nico is on board. There may be spoilers for the books so if you don't want any spoilers than you probably shouldn't read this. Canon pairings will be mentioned (including Calypso later on) but the story will focus on the friendship between Leo and Nico.

Disclaimer : I sadly don't own Percy Jackson or any other recognisable franchises.

* * *

Leo was not having a good day. There had been a problem with the engines last night and he'd missed breakfast to fix it. Then, he'd finally emerged at lunchtime coated in sweat and grease to find the ship being attacked by a nice assortment of monsters. Not exactly his idea of fun. Especially as he'd obtained a nasty looking scratch on his arm. He had taken care of it himself, at that point he had been dying for a shower and Jason (as per usual) was suffering from another concussion. So no one had noticed the lowly mechanic slipping away. They also hadn't noticed his absence at lunch either, apparently.

The wound had taken a little longer than usual to wrap up, so Leo had gotten to the dining room just as the others had finished up. He didn't feel like eating alone so he went below deck instead to work on his "secret project" in the walls. He was just so close to finishing it that he had almost missed dinner as well. The lack of food didn't bother him too much, but the fact that his friends had seemingly forgotten about him kind of hurt.

He'd spent the entirety of dinner in silence. No one had questioned it. Hazel and Frank were too busy flirting, Percy and Jason talking about the previous attack and Piper and Annabeth were discussing female warriors from the past. At first, Leo almost didn't notice Nico lounging in the corner, half shrouded by shadows as usual. Leo frowned at the thought. Nico was a child of the big three like Jason, Percy and Hazel yet he never seemed to try and draw attention to himself. A bit like Leo, Nico always seemed a little out of place. Sure, the other boy intimidated him slightly (the dude had survived Tartarus _alone_) but Leo made a decision to try and get to know the other boy a little better. The worst that could happen was the other boy using his power as the son of Hades to kill him then re-animate him as an eternal slave, but Leo was going to look at the positives instead.

He got his chance a few hours later. It was getting late, and Leo was giving Festus a quick check up, when he noticed the other boy slinking over to the railing. Leo decided to take a chance and joined the other boy in staring into the waves. Nico nodded in greeting but silence still prevailed. They stayed like that for a short while, and Leo started shifting uncomfortably. Nico glanced over at him, and sighed. He turned so that he was leaning on the bar and faced Leo.

"Did you need something?" Nico sounded fed up, and Leo wondered if it would be really awkward if he just apologised and ran away. His cheeks flamed (though thank the Gods it wasn't literally this time) but then he noticed something in Nico's dark eyes. Was it curiosity? Or maybe Nico actually did want to talk to him. Leo found a smile growing on his face and Nico stared at him in confusion and maybe a little impatiently.

"Well as we aren't currently being attacked by some random monster and the my spanking hot war machine is sailing fine, I thought that I could finally talk to you." Nico appeared surprised by that.

"Why?" That emotion was still hidden in Nico's eyes so Leo pulled himself onto the bar and began swinging his legs to formulate a proper reply. Sure, he could speak to machines with ease, but give him a conversation with a living being and he would often mess it up within seconds. And something seemed to tell him that saying you seemed lonely and I am lonely wouldn't exactly cut it with the other boy.

"You're the only person on board who I haven't managed to annoy in some way yet." Leo almost face palmed at the stupid comment that he had just made. However, a very faint grin danced across Nico's features for a moment.

"So you came to me to get a full set then, have you?" Leo snickered.

"Oh no, if I was going to try annoying you then I would have done it in a place were I could hide behind someone else." Nico joined him in sitting on the bar, though his legs remained still unlike Leo's. The boys once again sat in silence, but it didn't feel as oppressive this time. Suddenly, Leo felt a sharp pain in his leg and realised that maybe swinging it wasn't going to do any good for the cut. He let out a small gasp of pain. Maybe all the work he had been doing hadn't helped either, he'd just gotten so caught up in his project that he'd completely forgotten about the cut. He could see blood starting to slowly stain his jeans. And he had really thought that he'd have been able to have an uninterrupted conversation with Nico. The Fates hated him.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was still a little unsure on why the other boy was talking to him. It wasn't as if the fire user was mean or anything, but he was always rushing around fixing or making something. This was probably the first proper interaction that they had ever had. Nico didn't know what to make of the fire-user. Whenever he was with the others he laughed and joked and clowned around, yet Nico could always see something in the other boy's eyes. Something that looked very familiar to Nico. Pain and loneliness. That was probably the only reason that Nico had remained talking with the other demigod.

Leo had been silent for a short while, and from what Nico knew of him, that was quite unusual. He flicked his eyes over to the tanned teen and frowned when he noticed that Leo was staring at a steadily growing dark patch on the leg of his jeans.

"That doesn't look good." Nico spoke simply, though he couldn't help feeling concerned that Leo was injured and no one had thought to stop him from working. In fact, Nico hadn't seen Leo at breakfast or dinner and none of the others had seemed to mention it. Had the fiery Latino fell out with the others?

"Tis but a scratch." Leo laughed gently but Nico was even more befuddled than before. Horror appeared in Leo's at Nico's apparent ignorance.

"You've never seen Monty Python?"

"I did spend quite a bit of time stuck in a casino." Nico's words were a little bitter, and the other boy gave him an odd look. Thankfully, he seemed to shrug off the statement, as demigods he'd probably heard stranger things.

"Well you'll have to come to our next movie night so I can educate both you and Hazel at the same time." Nico couldn't believe that Leo was completely ignoring the blood on his leg in favour of coercing Nico into joining in on movie nights. Nico slid of the bar and turned to the other.

"If you'll come with me to fix up that wound than I'll consider coming to movie night." Leo appraised him for a moment as if trying to ascertain Nico's sincerity. Eventually though, he joined Nico in standing on the deck. And promptly almost fell over due to what must have been a stabbing pain in his leg causing the aforementioned limb to buckle.

Nico quickly reached out and steadied the unsteady son of Hephaestus. Leo flashed him a sheepish grin and Nico found himself rolling his eyes. He laced Leo's arm over his shoulder, ignoring the faint heat that the other boy constantly emitted.

"Thanks." Leo muttered. Nico just guided him down the stairs and headed towards the infirmary. A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that this was the longest he'd touched someone in a long while and he quashed that thought viciously. After all, if one of the others had came across Leo bleeding out on the deck and found out that Nico hadn't helped him, he doubted they would be pleased. Even if they did seem to be ignoring Leo a little bit lately. Nico ignored the voice that was now cackling about the fact that Nico wanted to be friends with the loud, annoying mechanic. Nico was just doing his part to help the quest. The fact that he couldn't even say that in his head without his voice wavering was disappointing. Valdez didn't need anymore friends and Nico was simply in a convenient place when the boy was bored.

Leo's P.O.V

Once they had reached the infirmary, Leo settled himself onto the bed with a slight sigh. He reached down to roll up his pants leg, but Nico's cold hand stopped him. Leo was going to question him when Nico started lifting his pants leg in a gentle way that Leo hadn't known Nico was capable of.

"It'll be quicker if I take care of it." Nico's voice was a little rushed and his cheeks were tainted ever so slightly with red. Leo nodded and relaxed as Nico unwrapped the bandages with nimble fingers. He heard Nico take in a sharp breath when the bandages were fully of his leg.

"Why didn't you tell anyone that you were wounded like this?" Nico's voice was shrill as he fumbled in the cupboard for some more bandages and a square of ambrosia.

"It's not exactly a life threatening wound." Leo almost laughed, but the dark look that Nico gave him stopped that laughter in it's track.

"You still should have taken some ambrosia." Nico bandaged the wound swiftly and broke a small piece of ambrosia off and returned the rest to the drawer before trying to hand the piece to Leo.

"There's no point in wasting any ambrosia on this." Leo refused to take the ambrosia from the paler boy who snorted in annoyance.

"It's not wasting it, it's using it for what it's meant to be used for, healing demigods."

"Yeah well this wound will heal in a couple of days anyway so there really is no point in using it." Leo crossed his arms stubbornly but found himself looking away from Nico's stare which had suddenly became a lot more intense.

"How do you know how long a wound like this takes to heal?" Leo shrugged and Nico sighed in exasperation (Nico seemed to have sighed a lot this night".

"Take the ambrosia and I promise I'll watch Minty Python or whatever it was." Leo grinned massively and decided that taking the ambrosia was a small price to pay for getting Nico to attend one of the ships movie nights. He took the godly food and ate it slowly, savouring the taste of his mom's tacos. Then he looked up at Nico who was currently looming over him.

"So ... what do you want to do now?" Nico remained staring at him in a deadpan manner. Yep, becoming friends with Nico was going to be a challenge. And what could Leo say, he loved a challenge.

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So, hopefully I didn't screw Nico's character up too much (I've never written from Nico's P.O.V before). I hope you enjoyed it and feel free to leave me a review.


	2. Chapter 2

So the two have begun to warm up to each other :) It's time for some male bonding Leo and Nico style.

Merridew : Thanks Jamie, and I hope you enjoy the adorableness of our favourite characters.

QueenofLothlorien : You're very welcome and thanks for saying that I kept Nico in character, it was my biggest worry for this story. And I always thought that they would get along (they have suffered the most).

ObsessedwReading : Don't worry, this is another on going story :)

TeamLeo'sVeryOwnFlinxShipper : Tee hee, gotta love that film. And I am planning on making this into a bigger story so feel free to continue reading.

AmaebLEO : I'm glad that you like both my stories and I hope that you continue reading them.

Disclaimer : If I owned Percy Jackson than most of the books would just be epic bromance moments.

Nico's P.O.V

* * *

After dealing with Valdez's wound, the other boy had somehow gotten him to come to he kitchen for a sneaky midnight snack. Nico knew that the coach would probably catch them, but he couldn't help wanting to spend a little more time with Leo before the other boy made up with his friends and began ignoring him. Nico wouldn't admit this, even under torture, but he was actually enjoying this night. It was one of the best since he'd, well, gotten out of _that place._

As the son of Hades had stood deep in thought, Leo had been busy grabbing food and drink for their snack and stuffing it in a handy basket. Nico snapped out of his contemplation as Leo gently closed the lid on the basket, before turning to Nico with his trademark, impish grin.

"Ready for a picnic death breath?" Nico shot a glare at his companion, and Leo looked properly chastised. For about two seconds. And then he was tugging Nico out of the kitchen with one hand, the other clasped around the impromptu picnic basket.

"Where are we going?" Nico tried to think of a way to remove his hand from the other's grip, but in the end he decided that it was probably best to just let Leo drag him where ever they were headed.

"You'll see." Leo was now pulling Nico across the deck. The brisk night air chilled Nico ever so slightly, and he was secretly glad that Leo emitted so much heat. Then he realised that Leo was gesturing to the Crows nest in which Nico had spent most of his time on board. Nico was about to protest, when he noticed the almost childlike excitement in the other boy's eyes. He climbed up with another exaggerated sigh. Then he realised a problem with their plan.

"How are you going to get up here with the basket?" Nico's voice was loud enough to reach the demigod on the deck but cautious enough to refrain from waking the others. Leo smirked. From his ever present tool belt, a coil of rope emerged. Leo expertly lashed the rope around himself so that the basket was now securely settled on his back. He swiftly shinned up to the nest and sat next to the other boy. Leo had built the nest to be big enough to hold more then one demigod at a time, so while the space was a little cramped (especially with the addition of the basket) it was bearably comfortable.

Nico watched as Leo pulled out a packet of marshmallows, toasted one lightly with a small flame produced from the tip of his finger. After a few seconds, Leo handed the cooler marshmallow over to Nico. Nico had to admit, all though the method of toasting it was a bit unorthodox, the marshmallow was delicious. Leo pulled a few more ingredients from the basket and proceeded to make a few dozen smores, the heat from his hands helping to toast the treats and a look of concentration on his face.

"That's an unusual way to use your powers." Leo briefly glanced upwards and flashed Nico a quick grin.

"It actually helps me with my control. The heat has to be strong enough to meld the chocolate and marshmallows together, but it can't be too hot as the marshmallows would be ruined. Plus it's helpful when you have no access to a kitchen and need to cook something."

Nico was shocked that the prankster had developed a pretty decent training method out of making smores. But it was the end of Leo's explanation that really confused Nico.

"When did you need to use that?" Nico regretted his words instantly as a somewhat melancholy look spread over his friends face.

"I was on the run a lot when I was younger." Nico was once again surprised, this time by both the admission and the honesty within the simple statement. Leo was trusting him with important information about himself. Nico felt a little warmer, despite the cool night air, and not just because of Leo's elevated body temperature beside him.

The nest only remained sad for a minute or two before Leo started up some inane chatter about how to make the best smores, a few jokes thrown in here or there. Nico frowned internally. It seemed whenever something turned serious, Leo would make a joke or two to deflect the subject away from whatever was going on. Nico couldn't help wondering just how much of Leo's cheerful persona was actually a ruse, though he decided to drop his mental discussion when Leo gave him a quizzical glance.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo was relieved when Nico dropped the subject and joined in on his milk chocolate versus white chocolate smores debate. He had come so close to revealing something painful, and though Leo was certain that he would be able to tell Nico about his past someday, he wanted that to be at a time were Nico probably wouldn't hate him too much for what had happened that night in the warehouse.

Gradually, the two boys relaxed and finished of the rest of the picnic. It had only been an hour or two, but Leo hadn't had much sleep in a while and from the looks of things, Nico hadn't either. Once the picnic had been completely finished off, the boys reluctantly climbed down from the crows nest.

Leo watched Nico out of the corner of his eye as they stealthily made their way back to the kitchen to deposit the basket. It looked as if Nico wanted to say something but every time Nico even opened his mouth slightly, he would shut it again just as swiftly as he had opened it. Leo was about to question him on it when they reached the kitchen. They slipped inside. And they came face to face with Buford. Just before his table could start it's rant, Leo darted over to his three legged friend.

"Midnight feast protocol!" He whispered urgently, and Buford turned and trundled away calmly. Leo deposited the basket in it's usual place and turned to see Nico staring at him with an amused tilt to his mouth.

"You made a midnight feast protocol for your table." Quiet laughter followed this statement, and even though it was brief, Leo couldn't help quietly cheering about the fact that he had made the stoic, usually solemn boy laugh.

"Of course, midnight picnic are an important ritual." Leo noticed a brief look of .. annoyance pass over Nico's pale features.

Nico's P.O.V

How could he be stupid enough to think that maybe Leo had taken him on a picnic as a special occasion to make friends with him? Obviously Leo had fallen out with the others and had chosen Nico to be their substitute in his picnic ritual. And Nico couldn't help feeling a little left out, he had never been invited on a midnight picnic before.

"So just how many of these things have you held?" Nico tried to keep his voice neutral, but instead turned out slightly strained. Leo looked away, and when he turned back, Nico was shocked to see the beginnings of a blush forming on the other's tanned face.

"At this moment, only you. I've been working on the ship most nights and the others always seem to busy to ask. This is the first time one of my friends has been available at the same time as me." Nico felt his own features beginning to burn as the other called him his friend.

"Well, I'm honoured to have attended the Argo's very own midnight picnic." Leo's face lit up.

"We'll have to do this more often then. But for tonight, we best be getting to bed if we want to get up on time tomorrow. Goodnight Nico." Leo made a move as if to hug him, but then, as if remembering Nico's usual discomfort with people touching him, settled for a hand on the shoulder. As the other boy headed towards his sleeping area, Nico felt the warmth of Leo's hand lingering on his shoulder. Maybe being friends with this firecracker of a boy wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe it would be exactly what Nico needed.

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Aww, the boys are just so cute. I'll see you next time and feel free to leave a review. And I'm sorry if anything about the smores are wrong (I'm English and I've never had them before.


	3. Chapter 3

So, Leo and Nico now have a tradition :) And Nico is becoming more and more comfortable around Leo. Thank you to everyone who faved or followed and a big thanks to my friend Pseudorific who will be beta reading this story. Oh, and anything in italics is part of a dream.

ObsessedwReading : I know, I feel that as the characters who have probably suffered the most they, they would have the most to bond over.

AmaebLEO : Thank you, it means a lot that you read both of my stories.

Fantasiedreamar : *High fives back* Yay another English fan of the series.

Epiphany Aria Grace : Thanks for saying that I kept them in character, I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to write Nico's P.O.V. And I'm glad that you love it.

Merridew : Thanks for offering to help, and I'm happy that you like it.

Booyahkasha : I think that they have great potential for a close relationship :)

Disclaimer : Sadly, I don't own Percy Jackson's world.

Nico's P.O.V

It had been a few days since the midnight picnic and Nico hadn't seen much of his Latino friend. The day after the picnic there had been a monster attack and the Argo had suffered a bit of damage. Leo had been spending a great deal of time fixing his precious (Leo's words, not his) and Nico loathed to admit that he was actually starting to miss the fiery boy's company. That was probably why he was walking past the engine room at ten in the hopes of spotting him.

Nico was just planning to stealthily slip past the engine room's door and maybe glance inside to see if Leo was there when he heard something distressing. As he got closer and closer to the room, he could hear someone crying. A scream rang out and Nico found himself sprinting towards the open door.

As he made his way inside, Nico noticed Leo laying on a small, rudimentary cot in the corner of the room, tossing and turning as if his body was fighting an invisible monster. Nico sprinted over. Leo looked even worse up close. Tears streamed from his eyes, mingling with the grease that was smudged on is tan cheeks. His brow was furrowed and small sounds of distress were ringing out from his partially opened mouth.

Nico hesitated, he didn't really have much experience with situations like this, maybe he should just go and fetch one of the others. As Nico contemplated whether he should fetch someone else or just wake the other boy, another scream was released from Leo. Nico winced as Leo's hands fisted in the cot's covering.

In the end, Nico's body made the decision for him. Another heart wrenching noise came from his fellow demigod and his arm instantly reached over to shake Leo awake.

It took a few moments, but eventually Leo snapped awake and bolted up - almost headbutting Nico in the process. He was sweating and panting and for a few moments his eyes stared blankly into space, fresh tears welling up and slipping down his cheeks. Then, Leo seemed to realise that Nico was sitting right next to him and he blushed and wiped his eyes hastily.

"What's up?" The fact that Leo was the one asking this question would have made Nico laugh if the situation wasn't so profoundly absurd.

Leo's P.O.V

She was laughing at him. Her voice echoed off of the charred workshop walls and Leo could hear the mocking undertones. The workshop was empy except for Leo and the voice of Gaia, a voice that Leo hated passionately. Suddenly, his vision turned red, and when it cleared, the figure of his mother stood in front of him. However, instead of the beautiful, kind image he had always associated with his mother, Leo was faced with a blank, charred face and a burnt, deformed body.

Leo screamed and scrambled backwards. The corpse ambled after him, the dead eyes accusing him with their emptiness, burning straight through him. And then they were filled with hate and spite directed solely at him.

"Your fault ..." The voice was choked and rasping, but undeniably his mother's. Leo felt tears burning his eyes as Gaia laughed and his mother's ruined body accused him. As Leo huddled into a ball at the back of the workshop to try and block out what was happening, the scene changed.

He was now standing in the dining pavilion back at camp. All of his friends and siblings - even Frank and Hazel - were eating and talking merrily: everyone was happy. But Leo wasn't sitting with his friends. He decided to join them, but no one acknowledged his presence. Not Nyssa, Harley, Jake, Jason or even Nico. No one seemed to hear him either. Leo's stomach clenched as he realised that he was invisible.

He backed away from the scene and his back suddenly hit something. Leo turned slowly, warily and found another scream snaking out of his throat. Behind him stood an exact duplicate of himself. However, his double was on fire, the flames whipping around in a lazy, uncotrolled manner. And there was a demonic glint in the other him's eyes that scared Leo immensely.

"You want them to notice you, don't you?" His voice was cruel, taunting yet there was also a certain element of sickening pity in it. The other Leo smirked, the flames curling higher and higher around him.

"They won't be able to ignore you after this." With this, Leo's shadowy twin leapt forward, a stream of intense flame hitting Frank dead centre. Leo wasn't even able to scream a warning as Frank's body toppled forwards, smoke rising from the wound.

Demigods were screaming in panic now as evil Leo set fires everywhere. Annabeth was scorched a few seconds after Frank, Nyssa following shortly afterwards. The real Leo tried to help his friends but it was as if a barrier was preventing him from reaching the people he cared about. With every step he took towards them, their screams grew louder and louder until they were deafening.

One by one they fell to the flame, screaming at the betrayal and moaning with pain. At last, only Percy, Jason, Piper, Harley and Nico were left out of all the demigods who had previously been there.

The barrier lifted and the other Leo disappeared. As soon as he was able to move freely, Leo ran over to his remaining friends, hoping to help or just hoping to do anthing that could reverse what had just happened. But he stopped when he saw the looks in his friends eyes. Fear , anger and hatred - stares that hurt worse than the curses that were being spat at him by his friends.

Without him noticing, fire had begun to spread up his arms. His body began walking towards his friends without his consent. Their screams rang in his ears as they burnt.

Leo shot awake, tears practically flooding down his cheeks and his throat sore from screaming. He couldn't help feeling grateful that he had slept down in the engine room, hopefully no one had heard his screaming. Leo's hopes were dashed when he noticed Nico staring at him worriedly from the end of the hard cot that Leo had taken to sleeping on when it wasn't worth going to his bedroom.

He felt his cheeks flushing and he began scrubbing at his eyes to remove the damning evidence of his weakness.

"What's up?" His voice was painfully watery and Leo noticed Nico's eyes turn slightly harder.

"I think that I should probably be the one asking you that." The paler boy's voice was compassionate yet it still held a certain rigidness that suggested that Leo wouldn't get away with his usual facade. And despite the worry that Nico was going to expect him to not hide behind his usual humour, Leo couldn't help feeling a flicker of happiness that the other boy knew about and wouldn't accept his use of a jokey attitude to hide his true emotions.

"It was just a stupid nightmare, I'm fine now." Leo would be damned if he didn't at least try to avoid the subject.

"No nightmare is stupid if it upsets you this much." Nico appeared completely serious, and Leo couldn't help being amazed that Nico was being so sensitive about this.

"It doesn't matter." Leo was still adamant about denying that he needed help. Nico sighed in exasperation, before shifting ever so closer.

"You don't have to tell me about the dream if you don't want to, but I am willing to listen if you need it, or I can stay with you for a little while." Nico sounded genuine and it took all of Leo's restraint not to throw himself into the other boy's arms and sob like a child. Instead he managed to shake his head and grunt a small message out.

"That's okay, you should probably go get some sleep." Nico's eyes locked onto his own, and Leo felt as if the other boy was trying to read his soul. Then, Nico stood slowly.

"If you truly don't need any help the I'll leave. Good night Leo." The other boy walked away, though his pace was incredibly slow, giving Leo time to make up his mind fully.

"Wait!" Nico turned back around when Leo called out to him.

"Maybe we could talk for a little while." Leo knew that his face was probably bright red and he couldn't believe that he had just made such a pathetic request. Nico probably thought that he was a whiny little baby who couldn't handle one nightmare. Once again, his eyes were shimmering with tears.

The bed dipped suddenly, and Leo almost jumped in surprise when he felt a cold hand hesitantly laid on his shoulder. His eyes flicked up and met Nico's dark orbs, which currently radiated compassion despite the slightly awkward look gracing his features. And as Leo stared at his friends face, he remembered the images from the dream, Nico screaming in agony as Leo's flames surrounded him and the hatred in his eyes as he gazed upon Leo.

His composure crumpled and he practically fell into the other boy, his hands tight around Nico's waist and his head buried in his shoulder. He felt Nico stiffen, then slowly relax as his arms wound around Leo's waist.

"Te maté." Leo choked out as he tried to stifle the tears for the millionth time. Nico's hand started soothingly carding through his hair.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico wasn't cruel enough to not melt into his friend's desperate embrace. His arms gently wrapped around the trembling boy. He didn't really know how to handle this but he couldn't mess it up. Leo's usually cheerful nature had almost completely disappeared as he sobbed into Nico's shoulder.

Leo muttered something in Spanish, and although Nico didn't understand the words, he could catch the sentiment from the way Leo's hands twisted in Nico's shirt. In an attempt to console his friend, Nico began working his hand thorugh Leo's dark curls and whispering reassuring words.

Gradually, Leo stopped trembling and the boys withdrew a little awkwardly. But Nico didn't want this to become awkwardly so he once again squeezed Leo's shoulder reassuringly. Leo's chocolate eyes raised and a small smile danced on his tanned face. It was smaller than Leo's normal blinding grin, but Nico felt that it was a shade more sincere. A warm feeling spread through him at the thought that he had elicited real happiness from his companion.

They chatted idly for about an hour before Nico yawned. Leo, still smiling softly, had sent him on his way with a simple thank you. Nico felt certain that Leo would not be plagued with any more nightmares, this night at least.

Poor Leo (I really love to torture him don't I?). I'm sorry if I messed up the Spanish, I am not fluent. Feel free to leave a review and I'll see you all next time.


	4. Chapter 4

The friendship grows stronger :) And this one has tacos in though I don't really know much about tacos so please don't kill me if I get any taco information wrong. Oh, and I don't think Nico would know what an Ipod is but in this story he does. Thanks again to everyone who faved or followed and my beta reader Pseudorific for putting up with my mangled typing.

Fantasiedreamar : Thank you (I want this fic to be cute and angsty).

AmaebLEO : Yep, that is what I wanted to say and thank you for the support :)

Neon Wish : I'm glad that he's in character then.

ObsessedwReading : They will both be discussing their pasts a little later on and I love the idea of their friendship.

QueenofLothlorien : Wales is close enough ;) And my torture chamber definitely isn't secret, I post snippets of it on here for you to read. And I hope that you also have a good evening.

DoYouEvenFanfic : I hope that this is soon enough.

Rainbowchameleon : Their bromance is so adorable!

RoseAmy13LunaGinny : I love the Leo feels (and don't worry, you don't sound creepy).

Kittehx1 : I was trying to say I killed you.

Disclaimer : The world is cruel because I own neither Percy Jackson nor Apple nor Breaking Benjamin (thanks Pseudorific for getting me into them).

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was admittedly not very good at this whole "friendship" thing, but even he knew that after an emotional moment like the one he and Leo had experienced, the upset party usually took some time alone to work through their problems. Nico was quickly learning that Valdez seemed to take an almost inhumane delight in defying everything that Nico had pre-discerned about friendship (even if that hadn't exactly been much to start with.

The day after Leo's nightmare, Nico found him in the kitchen, cheerily watching over a sizzling frying pan.

"Hey Nico." Leo's ADHD must have been kicking in as he casually greeted Nico without turning away from the pan. Nico approached carefully.

"What are you doing?" Leo turned slightly and smirked at him.

"I'm making tacos." Leo stated simply.

"Why?" Nico couldn't help inquiring why his friend was making tacos a few hours before lunch.

"Because they remind me of ... because I like tacos." Nico was curious about just what Leo had been about to say, but before he could ask, Leo was waving a wooden spoon in his face. Nico stared at him suspiciously and Leo rolled his eyes.

"Taste it." It spoke volumes of how much Nico valued Leo's company that he trusted hi enough to take the offered spoon.

"That's good!" It was surprising just how good the other boy's cooking was. And it was even better when Leo gave him another genuine smile.

"I've been making them since I was little so ..." Leo returned to stirring and Nico cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that you could cook this well." Leo looked slightly flustered.

"It's a good skill to have when you're on the streets." Leo seemed to realise what he just said.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. Do you want to learn Uncle Leo's secret taco recipe?" Nico decided that if he subjected himself to this lesson, maybe he would find out about what Leo had been alluding to then and last night. Plus, those tacos were damn good!

Half an hour later, Nico was dressed in a black apron that said "You thik my cooking's bad, that's just the cyanide". Leo was adorned in a red apron with a flame decal that said "My cooking's so hot, You'll melt like butter." When Nico had first saw the aprons he had outright refused to wear either. Leo had pulled puppy dog eyes on him, and, when that failed (though Nico had came very close to crumbling under the weight of those puppy dog eyes), had resorted to blackmail. If Nico didn't wear the apron (and only the Gods knew where exactly Leo had got these aprons) he woudn't get any of the tacos that Leo had jsut finished and stored away for later. Nico had grudgingly put the apron on.

The taco making wasn't going as badly as Nico had expected. The food he was creating probably wouldn't be anywhere near as good as Leo's, but with the Latino's help it would hopefully be at least edible. Leo had shown him the proper technique to slicing onions without crying, the best way to get the most taste out of the beef and how to season properly.

Leo's P.O.V

Once the tacos were finished, Nico and Leo leant back to proudly observe their work. Leo took in the look of satisfaction on his friend's face and grinned himself. And then it dawned on him.

"Oh no! I didn't make a veggie taco for Piper." Leo ran to the cupboard, distraught at the thought of forgetting to make Piper's meat free meal. In fact, he was acting so hastily that when he tried pulling the ingredients out of the cupboard, he instead up-ended a bag of flour over his head. Leo was now absoloutely covered in the white powder. Leo stood in absolute shock for a moment or two, but he was brought back to reality by the sound of sniggering.

Slowly, he turned on his heel to face a laughing Nico. And this wasn't some polite fake laugh or a nervous titter. This was full on head thrown back laughing. Leo's lips curled into a wicked grin. Apparently Nico hadn't noticed the danger he was in as he continued laughing, though on a much more subdued scale than before. Leo's grin got wider.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico wasn't aware of the demonic grin he was currently recieving. In fact, he was only dimly aware of the kitchen as he thought about how this was the first time in a very long time (before even _that place_) that he had actually laughed properly. Then he found arms wrapped around him.

Nico froze at the unfamiliar sensation, yes Leo had hugged him last night, but at that time Leo had been a bit unstable. Now his arms were around him in a moment that wasn't fraught with emotional tension and it was ... comfortable. It was almost like what recieving a hug from a brother would be like. And that was when he realised that he too was now covered in flour. He tried to stay mad, he really did, but when he caught their reflections in the shining, silver toaster (that Leo had declared vital for the quest), he found himself laughing harder. Leo also turned to look at their reflections and he too started laughing. The arms around Nico were trembling with the force of Leo's laughter, and Nico found himself joining in on an epic two person flour fight.

A cough at the door halted their mock fighting instantly. Both boys were currently sitting on the floor covered and surrounded by flour. Nico glanced up to find an incredibly confused Annabeth staring down at them.

"I just came to say that we'll be having dinner a little later today because Seaweed Brain has decided to become one with his surroundings and converse with the dolphins. Which is lucky for you because it's going take you a while to clean this up." Annabeth then left, a puzzled frown still sitting on her face. Leo and Nico glanced at each other and cracked up again.

Nico stood up and then yanked Leo to his feet.

"Come on, we'll need to be quick if we wan't to get this over with in time." Leo nodded and the whistled loudly. A few seconds later, Buford trundled up and Leo pulled an Ipod out of the top drawer.

"One of the best presents that Piper has ever given me." Leo commented as he set the Ipod up in a speaker that he also removed from Buford's drawer. He then asked the table, very politely, if he would stand in the kitchen so that they could listen to the music while cleaning. Nico decided to gather the actual cleaning equipment while Leo held a seemingly one-sided conversation with his table.

Once everything had been sorted, the boy's started cleaning.

"Playlist Three please Isaac." Leo requested, and the opening of Dance with the devil by Breaking Benjamin began.

"You seriously named your Ipod and made it voice activated?" Nico was astounded just how unusual Leo was. The tanned boy shrugged and they continued cleaning. A few minutes in, Nico heard Leo's soft, unexpectedly good voice join in with the song.

"Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil 't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight? Trembling, crawling across my your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine. I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies .I won't last long, in this world so wrong."

The chore went faster with Leo's singing as a background, and Nico was happy to listen to Leo singing one of his favourite songs. Eventually, they had finished. The demigods parted to shower the last of the powder away and agreed to meet back in the kitchen to serve their food to the others.

After a quick shower, Nico returned to the kitchen to find Leo expertly stacking Tacos onto two platters. Then Nico remebered something.

"Wait, what about Piper?" Leo's smile turned a little sheepish.

"Er, well ... when I was taking the other tacos out from earlier, I realised that I had made Piper some with the original batch." Leo gestured towards a smaller plate that was being kept farther away from the others. Nico stared at his friend, and shook his head.

"Only you Valdez, only you."

* * *

Cooking adventures with Leo and Nico, always fun :) And now one of the other demigods knows about the unorthodox friendship springing up between the son of Hephaestus and the son of Hades. Feel free to review and I'll see you all next time.


	5. Chapter 5

So moving on swiftly to chapter five :) Thanks to anyone who faved/followed and to Pseudorific for dealing with my spelling/grammar mistakes.

LettersFromTheLonelyOtakuGirl : I only recently got into them but so many of their songs fit my favourite characters.

ObsessedwReading : You're very welcome and I hope that you are okay :(

Fantasiedreamar : I'm sorry but I've never had a taco (*ducks the tacos now being thrown at me*)

Lovefangirllove Thanks (the boys are just so adorable).

Guest : The feels have taken up a near permanent residence in my body after invading a few years ago.

Rainbowchameleon : Yep, next chapter will definitely have angst.

QueenofLothlorien : Thank you for saying that I'm talented, and I will be continuing both my stories so :) And yes, Leo is very good at dodging questions.

Disclaimer : It seems that the Greek Gods are ignoring my prayers and haven't gifted me with the ownership of Percy Jackson or Monty Python. Sigh.

Leo's P.O.V

* * *

Everyone (including Coach Hedge) were sitting around the dining table and tucking into the tacos that Nico and Leo had made together. Every now and again, Leo would glance over at Nico and mouth the word flour, and watched as Nico turned some very interesting shades in an attempt to not laugh and spit taco all over the table. Nobody except Annabeth had seemingly caught onto this, and Annabeth was looking more and more bamboozled as time went on.

"Too hot." Percy panted after taking a bite out of one of the tacos contained perhapes a little to much pepper. Leo couldn't miss this golden opportunity.

"Hot Damn!" He called out after jumping up on his chair and setting his hands on fire. Percy, catching the reference, almost choked on the water that he had been drinking in an effort to cool his mouth. And wasn't that an interesting sight, the son of the sea God almost drowning himself with an innocent glass of water. The meal was going almost to well, so obviously something had to go wrong.

Just as Leo had managed to make Nico turn a delightful shade of puce with an eyebrow wriggle as he mouthed "the forgotten taco", festus started up a series of creaks that Leo instantly decoded.

"Monsters incoming." He yelped and all the demigods leapt into action, unsheathing their weapons (or in Leo's case, pulling his weapons out of his magical toolbelt) and racing towards the deck.

They arrived just in time for the monsters to attack full force. Leo was grateful that his leg had healed up as he dodged through a multitude of claws, beaks and razor sharp wings. He mostly stuck to his good old hammer, but when a monster got too close for comfort, he would use a quick burst of fire to keep a good distance. Leo really didn't want to be turned into monster chow tonight.

As he fought, he also kept an eye on his friends (one advantage of ADHD, being aware of seven different things at once). Everyone seemed to be doing fine until one monster shot up behind Piper. His body acted before he could think, throwing himself in the way of a potentially fatal wound. He braced for impact, but suddenly a dark figure materalised in front of him.

Somehow, Nico had been able to use shadow travel to get in front of Leo and slash through the monster before it hurt Leo. Nico turned and gave Leo a small smile, but Leo could see the nasty looking gash on Nico's arm.

The rest of the monsters had been cleared up with thankfully no more injuries (Jason hadn't even got a cncussion!). However, Leo could still see the blood on Nico's arm, and he walked over to his friend and grebbed his un-njured arm before pulling him to the infirmary. On the night that they had become friends, Nico had patched up one of Leo's wounds. And now it was his turn, especially as Nico had gotten the injury whilst saving him.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was a little confused at first over why his friend was suddenly kidnapping him. He could hear the others asking what was going on and Annabeth telling them about the kitchen incident. Nico decided to ignore their gossiping. Was it really so strange that Leo and Nico be friends?

He figured out where they were going as Leo turned into the hallway that contained the infirmary.

"Why are we going to the infirmary?" Nico asked the Latino. Leo gave him an affronted look.

"Friends don't let other friends bleed out on deck, especially if said friend got injured while saving their life." Leo looked at him guiltily, which surprised Nico as Leo was about to get himself killed for Piper.

"Would you expect Piper to feel guilty if you got killed saving her life?"

"Of course not!" Leo sounded a little annoyed that Nico had to ask that. They entered the infirmary and Nico got comfortable on the bed, Leo was going to tend to his wound no matter what so he might as well just get it over with without complaining. Leo began shuffling through the cupboards.

"So why do you look so guilty when I only go scratched?" Leo withdrew from his search, clutching everything he needed, and his brown eyes fixed upon Nico's.

"I suppose it's because I hate it when people have to get injured protecting me."

"Isn't that another thing that friends are supposed to do?" Leo's grin increased tenfold and Nico quickly realised that it was because he had called the other boy his friend. Nico felt his cheeks flush a little. Leo began cleaning his wound, making symathetc noises when \nico hissed.

"Yeah, but it always bugs me. Especially when my friends are injured because I did something stupid or because I wasn't strpong enough to protect myself." Nico frowned as Leo spoke in a self-deprecating manner.

"You aren't stupid Leo, and you are pretty strong. The only reason I had to help you was because you were willing to sacrifice yourself for Piper and I wasn't willing to let my father claim your soul." Nico blushed even more when he realised just how sappy (if heartfelt) his words had been. It seemed that Leo was just such an emotional person, his emotions sort of seeped into Nico, making him act well... like a kid. Like a friend.

Leo was also blushing as he delicately bandaged Nico's wound.

"Thanks. Though if your father's anything like you then it probably wouldn't be so bad hanging out with him." Nico stared at Leo in shock. Most demigods viewed Hades as some horrific being who was solely their to take their lives and enjoy their pain. But Leo was willing to give him a chance, purely because of Nico. The Ghost King once again felt the warmth of friendship burning in his gut. It was strange, Leo was swiftly becoming one of the people onboard that he actually felt comfortable with, the other being his sister obviously. The fire wielding son of Hephaestus had a way of making pretty much everyone feel at ease around him (though Zhang was an obvious exception to this rule).

"There, all done." Leo smiled at Nico, and pulled him up. "Oh, and you have a promise to fulfill." Nico raised his eyebrows in a predatory way.

"You promised to come to movie night if I let you take care of my wound, remeber?" A few days ago, Nico would probably have moaned at the thought of suffering a few hours of what these demigods dubiously called _entertainment, _especially due to the close proximity he'd have had to you-know-who, but sitting through it with Leo ight just make it bearable. And he had promised the other demigod.

They arrived at the TV room just in time, Jason had just been about to start the film. They all stared at Nico and Leo as if they were a nine headed hydra popping in to ask for some popcorn.

"We didn't know if you would make it." Piper said, shooting the two a wary glance. Nico instantly caught on. They thought that Leo ahd dragged Nico away to fight with him. He bristled a little bit at the accusation that he would have fought with his fellow demigo, with his _friend. _Before he could slink away, however, Leo latched onto his arm and dragged him over to the bean bags that were sat around the televion in a circle. There were nine bean bags laid out, and Nico again felt a pang of happiness. Obviously one had been placed for him even if he had refused all the previous invitations, thinking them to be pity invites.

"Well we're here now so lets commence the lesson of Monty Python." Leo smiled at his friends, and everyone just seemed to accept Nico's presence. In fact, they even seemed to welcome it. Most sent him warm smiles, and he was passed a bowl of warm, buttery popcorn.

"You two came late so you'll just have to share." Percy gave them a teasing smirk, and Leo's eyes also turned devious. He reached into his ever present tool belt and pulled out a packet of microwave popcorn. Nico caught on instantly he had, after all, seen leo use his powers for smore making. The others didn't seem to catch on, as they all jumped when the sound of popping filled the room. Leo cackled at the murderous looks on the faces of the others.

"As you weren't willing to wait for us to make another bowl of popcorn, only me and Nico will have this delicious, toffe apple, microwave popcorn." Leo popped a piece into his mouth and cruched it teasingly. He then offered the bag to Nico. Maybe he would have refused a little while back, but Nico felt like indulging for once. He also took a piece, watching the betrayed look portrayed by everyone else.

"This is some good popcorn." He said, nonchalantly. Leo nodded and took another piece, moaning loudly to emphasize his pleasure. This went on for a few moments before Leo apparently caved and made some more bags for the others. Then the film was actually started.

It was actually quite a good film, made even funnier when Leo and Percy took it upon themselves to quote along with the scene between the Black Knight and King Arthur, with Leo as the King and Percy as the Knight. Nico couldn't help wondering if he really had been stupid in turning down the previous invitations to movie night.

They watched a couple more films before Annabeth declared it a night. They rose, stretching sore limbs and left the room while still discussing the films. Eventually, only Nico and Leo were left, sitting side by side.

"So, what did you think?" Leo looked genuinely excited at the prospect of Nico admitting to enjoying himself, and even if Nico had had the worst night in the world, he knew that he would never be able to say that when his friend was looking at him with such childlike hope.

"It was better than I expected." He confessed. Leo's grin was so bright, Nico wondered if Apollo was getting jealous.

"I knew you would, I've been hoping since you came that you would join movie night."

"Is that why there was an extra bean bag for me, even though there was no guarantee that I would actually come?"

"Well I did have a guarantee this week, but yep, everyone on board has a bean bag for movie night should they want to join in." Leo stood up and stretched, his joints popping, and a small sigh escaped him at the relief. He then offered Nico a hand whcih he accepted gratefully.

"So are you going to come to the next one?" Leo was as excitable as a puppy.

"If you'll have me." Nico muttered. Leo beamed again.

"Of course, Nico. You're a part of this crew so you'll always have a place at movie night. Anyway, I have to go check on Festus before I go to sleep so good night Nico." Nico watched as his friend bounced away to check on his dragon's head. Nico was frozen, Leo had called him a member of the crew. Nico had thought that he didn't have a place on this ship as he wasn't a part of the prophecy, but everything Leo had done so far had contradicted that. Did he really have a place here?

* * *

Next chapter will be a lot more angsty so be warned :) Feel free to leave a review and I will see you guys later.


	6. Chapter 6

Time for some more angst :) Both of our boys are going to suffer this chapter, though it will still be cute hopefully. Oh, and I know that Nico doesn't have a room onboard the Argo, but humour me in pretending that Leo thought to include guest rooms. Italics signify a to everyone whos has faved or followed and a big thanks to Pseudorific for betaing this story.

RoseAmy13LunaGinny : The time for angst has arrived ;)

QueenofLothlorien : I appreciate the fact that you read both of my stories, and taht you like them. And yes, the boys are adorable.

Rainbowchameleon : I'm glad that I made you smile.

Neon Wish : Yep, they really would. And get ready for the angst.

HowlingRain : I hope it's worth the wait.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you :)

RoseAmy13LunaGinny : I know! But they aren't really common in England and so I haven't really had an opportunity to try them.

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Leo's P.O.V

Leo wished that after he had said good night to Nico, he had actually gone to bed. But ever since the quest had begun, Leo had been finding it difficult too sleep, either because of nightmares or just because he was too busy. With monster attacks every other day, Leo's beautiful warship had needed a lot of repairs, and he wouldn't trust any of the others with carrying them out (except maybe Annabeth, the girl was quite good with stuff like that considering the fact that she wasn't a child of Hephaestus).

He was currently trying to sneak down the corridor that held the guest rooms, the least occupied corridor. He felt a little guilty that Nico had to stay in this part of the ship virtually alone, but when he figured out the proportions of the ship, guest rooms hadn't been top on his list of priorities. They had been more of an after thought, that's why they were quite remmoved from the other sleeping area. Nico had never complained, but Leo sincerely doubted that the boy would complain about anything.

He was snapped out of his self recrimination for his lack of foresight when he heard an odd choking noise. As Nico was the only person who stayed in this area, Leo sprinted to his room, hand catching on fire as he contemplated the possibility of an intruder making this far onto the ship without Festus alerting him.

Leo opened the door to the younger boy's room with some degree of caution. A quick glance affirmed that there was no intruder throttling his friend, but the sight inside was just as terrifying to Leo as that situation would have been.

Nico was thrashing about on his bed, sheets twisted around his body and restricting his desperate movements slightly. An army of tears marched down his face, which was twisted into an expression of absolute misery. He was muttering curses in what Leo assumed to be Italian, and every now and then his back would arch of the bed as his body spasmed - with grief or pain Leo couldn't decipher.

It was an image that would probably haunt Leo for a long time to come. He called Nico's name worriedly and - when this had no effect - he shook the boy gently. When this also had no effect, Leo felt his temperature rise with worry.

"Nico..." He called again, shaking the boy a little more vigorously. Then ducking to avoid the poorly aimed punch that came soon after by a sweating and shaking son of Hades who obviously hadn't been having sweet dreams.

"Bianca!" He wailed, before he saw Leo hovering awkwardly by his side.

"What are you doing here?" He bit out harshly. Leo threw up his hands defensively. Nico was now glaring at him from under his dark bangs, though his eyes were still distant. Leo wondered what his friend had been dreaming of.

Nico's P.O.V

_Nico was kneeling in the middle of Tartarus, the dry air burning his throat as he screamed. His entire body was aching and filled with injuries, but this wasn't the reason for Nico's true pain. No, the reason for his pain cut deeper than any wound on his physical body._

_Bianca was standing in front of him, suffering the same torture that Nico himself had lived through. And Percy was the one inflicting the pain. The demigod who Nico had crushed on for years was currently beating both him and his sister, a cruel tilt to his lips. Beside him, Annabeth laughed and taunted Nico._

_"You think that Percy would ever look at someone as disgusting as you? As pathetic? Nobody likes you Nico. Most people fear you for your father and the others can't stand how annoying and weak you are."_

_"I'm not weak." Nico coughed out. He could feel the unpleasant stickiness of blood marring his flesh._

_"Oh, really?" Annabeth's voice was now a demonic snarl. Percy just kept up the physical assault and Nico was unable to move, not even to save his sister. He fought back tears._

_"You are weak Nico, because you fall for the act everytime."_

_"What act?" Nico felt as if sandpaper was not only attacking his throat but was also attacking his body._

_"The way people pretend to care about you." Annabeth's voice was back to normal, but it now had a sickly sweet quality to it. Nico's mind instantly flashed to Leo. Annabeth nodded with pretend sympathy._

_"Oh yes, Leo doesn't care about you. He sees you as a new toy, a machine to decode and de-assemble. He was bored and you were conveniently placed to alleviate his boredom." Nico shook his head and spat some blood onto the dusty plain of Tartarus. He tried blocking out the screams of his sister and the voice of Annabeth, but a particularly harsh slash from Percy prevented him from detatching himself from the situation. _

_Suddenly, Bianca was hovering over him, blood still streaming from various injuries._

_"Oh Nico." She murmered, and tears sprang up in Nico's eyes at the sound of her stepped forwards with a smirk, and he and Bianca both stared down at Nico._

_"You don't belong with us." They stated in eerie synchronisation. Bianca casually kicked Nico in the ribs. _

_"My silly little brother, this is where you belong, in Tartarus all alone."_

_"No..." He breathed out, the feeling in his throat like glass tearing into his skin. All three of them dissapeared, and their image was replaced with the body of a Latino boy. The figure was clearly distinguishable as Leo, but the scariest thing about the scene was the stygian iron blade lodged in his back. Nico gazed in horror at the sight of his friend - possibly his best friend - dead by his sword. _

_Then the head tilted upwards. The eyes contained non of the spark that so defined Leo. Nico screamed as the corpse dragged itself up._

_"Nico..." It said, though it spoke with Leo's usual tone, even containing a hint of concern._

_"Nico..." It repeated. Suddenly, the figure jerked and collapsed. Bianca was standing behind him, covered in blood and a devilsh look on her face._

Nico woke up to a figure standing over him and swung his fist on instinct. He called out his sister's name involuntarily. It took him a few seconds to regain his bearings, and when he had gathered his wit, he realised that the person who had been standing over him was Leo who was now watching him worriedly.

"What are you doing here?" His voice sounded rough even to his own ears, and he cried out internally as Leo shifted into a more defensive stance.

"I was going to bed when I heard what sounded like an attacker in your room." Leo looked a little less defensive and a little more concerned now. Nico wasn't sure if that was better.

"I thought you said that you were going to bed hours ago." Nico knew that his tone was suspicious, but he couldn't help it. His nightmare had stirred up all the feelings that Leo had temporarily helped him to supress.

"I got a little caught up in maintenance, but that doesn't matter at the moment. What matters is if you are okay." Leo was avoiding another one of Nico's questions, and a mixture of frustration and fear bubbled up in his chest. Leo acted like Nico could come to him with anything, but he refrained from telling Nico anything about himself. Was this because he really did just see Nico as some sort of... problem to be solved. Nico felt his countenance harden.

"Really? Does what's upsetting me actually matter to you, or is this just an excuse for you not to got to sleep yourself because you are scared of your own dreams." Whenever Nico got defensive, he tended to lash out at anyone around him. He watched as Leo flinched, before hastily throwing up his own barrier. But Nico could see through this, it was obvious to someone such as himself who put up his own defenses regularly.

"What's wrong with you?" Though Leo's tone held no accusation, Nico still percieved this as an insult.

"Why must something be wrong with me because I don't want to share my problems with someone like you." He spat the word "you" with icy venom. One part of him (the part that was convinced that Leo saw him as an interesting new toy) took grim satisfaction at the gesture, the other part of him was currently shouting that Leo was his friend and he should stop being so nasty to him.

"Someone like me?" There was now a dangerous note in Leo's voice, his choclate eyes backlit with his internal flame.

"Someone who expects everyone to trust them with their problems but doesn't allow any one else to know what is wrong with them. You didn't tell me what **your **nightmare was about, why should I tell you mine?" Leo's eyes went blank (in a way that was horrifyingly reminiscent of Nico's nightmare. He started walking away, and a cold feeling swept over Nico, if Leo left then it was confirmation that he had never truly cared in the first place.

But instead of leaving , Leo rached the door, turned on his heel and resumed pacing anxiously. He had shoved his hands into his tool belt and was currently fiddling with some metal contraption. Nico watched as the internal war that Leo was currently fighting played out on the tanned face. Finally, he seemed to reach a decision.

"I dreamt of Gaia. I dreamt of my mother who died in a warehouse fire when I was eight. I dreamt of the fire inside me winning again and forcing me to kill all of you, all of my family." Leo's voice was as lifeless as his body had been in Leo's nightmare, but his eyes were glazed in a way that suggested that tears weren't too far away. Nico was amazed at the trust Leo was displaying by confessing his dream, even if he was clearly holding something back.

"I dreamt of Tartarus, of my sister Bianca who died a few years ago. Of some of my friends hurting me." Nico realised his mistake when Leo blanched.

"I wasn't... it wasn't me hurting you was it?" Leo's voice wavered, and Nico shook his head emphatically.

"No, it doen't matter who it was." If Leo was still keeping secrets, then so could he. And the person he liked was definitely staying a secret. Leo seemed to calm down a little bit, he stopped pacing but his hands remained tinkering in his toolbelt.

"I hurt you in my nightmare." Leo shuddered, and Nico saw a look of pure agony shoot through the other boy's eyes.

"My sword was in your back." Nico tried to keep his voice steady but failed miserably. Leo looked at him in shock. Nico gulped. Leo walked over to him, and plopped down next to him.

"What a pair we make," he laughed huskily "killing each other in our dreams." Nico couldn't help a small snort at the irony. He tensed as Leo reached over and gently brushed the tear tracks away.

"We should start a club." Leo continued the conversation as if he hadn't just wiped the tears fron Nico's face like he was a child. Nico decided to play along.

"The we have a crappy past club or a we kill our friends in our sleep club."

"The first one." Leo closed his eyes.

"I do trust you, you know?" Nico jumped when Leo said this. Leo's voice was completely serious.

"It's just, my past, it isn't exactly the easiest tale to tell. I will tell you, but give me time." Nico nodded.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. And I... I think I trust you as well." Nico knew he did trust Leo, but the rebellious part of himself was still convinced that Leo was trying to trick him.

"That's good enough for me." Leo's reply was encouraging, a content smile settling on his face. He seemed to remember his invention then, and when he looked in his tool belt, he blushed.

"What's wrong?" Nico inquired, wondering what had made his Latino friend blush. Leo sheepishly removed his hands from inside the pocket, pulling out a metallic dream catcher. It was made of a shimmering, silver material and the bottom was adorned with small black feathers and deep purple beads. The main body of the dream catcher had a dark green stem made out of metal entwined around it, with leaves the same colour as the beads. At the top was a rose made out of pure, shinig osbidian. The picture had clearly been drawn by Leo at some point, though how it had been put on the fabric, Nico would never know. It was of everyone currently on the Argo decked out in some form of armour. Each piece had been designed to fit the person's personality and fighting style/powers. Nico's was beautiful and black with silver and purple swirls. Leo's was all fire colours except his ever present tool belt which was laced around his waist even in the picture. Leo looked humiliated.

"I was just thinking that maybe a bream catcher could help you out." Leo held it out, another blush painting his cheeks red. Nico took it in wonder. Leo seemed to take his silence as some sort of rejection as his hands began wringing. Nico traced his hands over the stunning craftmanship.

"I think it's beautiful. Thank you." Nico's doubts began to crumble.

* * *

So Nico had his turn with the nightmares :( but now he trust Leo more so that's good. Feel free to leave a review and I'll see you all next time.


	7. Chapter 7

There's some more angst in this chapter, but of a different kind. And before any Percy lovers kill me, I like Percy and think that he and Leo could be great friends however, I also think that apart from Frank, Percy is most likely to argue with Leo. So there will be a small section in Percy's P.O.V. If you hate this then tell me nicely and I won't do it again, it just helps this chapter out. Italics mean memories. And Leo will be able to do some of the acrobatic tricks associated with freerunning in this fic. And thanks to any faves/follows and my lovely beta Pseudorific.

Neon Wish : Yay :)

RoseAmy13LunaGinny : And now some more angst.

Rainbowchameleon : I know! Nico hides behind a façade of uncaring or anger and Leo hides behind his humour.

HowlingRain : I hope that I don't disappoint then.

ObsessedwReading : The feels are so strong that even Leo recognizes them (Blood of Olympus).

Disclaimer : I own the plot, not anything that obviously belongs to Rick Riordan.

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Leo's P.O.V

Sweat trickled down Leo's arm, but he refused to stop. In fact, he barely noticed the innocuous drop of water. He was too caught up in his training. His body flowed to a certain rhythm as he sent intense bursts of flame at the practice dummies in the training room. He was trying to keep his mind off of what had happened but every time he got his mind of the subject, a flicker of fire would get too close to one of his straw "allies". He had been there training for hours, but that clearly hadn't been long enough. Leo renewed his efforts, wincing as the memory danced through his mind again tauntingly, and straw "Jason" got slightly singed.

"Damn it!" He yelled punching the floor and ignoring the small cuts and the blood that welled up from them. Blood also ran from a ragged gash on his stomach that he had hastily bandaged before making his way to the training room to let of some literal steam. He deserved the wound anyway, he'd been so stupid. His eye was also smarting, and he ground his teeth in an effort to distance himself from his memory, using the pain in his aching muscles to try and focus on the present. He began his sequence again after fixing up some of the most battered dummies. The scene replayed in his head though, no matter what he tried. He crumpled to the floor, hands gripping his hair as he recalled the morning's events.

_After the beating that the ship had taken over the last couple of weeks, it was no surprise to Leo that he needed to stock up on some more supplies to fix it. Annabeth and Percy had been chosen as his lucky babysitters *cough* companions as it wasn't really safe for anyone to go alone and they hadn't had their Leo duty (as he had affectionately named the way they watched over him on their brief missions ashore) in a while._

_They made their way through the small town in a deceptively casual way, though Percy clutched Riptide in pen form (and wasn't that sword just the neatest thing ever, Leo was sincerely tempted to try making a weapon like that), Annabeth had her dagger tucked out of sight and, well, Leo was a walking weapon, but he kept his tool belt tightly wrapped around his skinny hips just in case._

_All of the items had been located with relative ease, and Leo knew that their luck couldn't last. And he was right. A horde of monsters swarmed them, and there was no way of contacting the ship. Leo quickly pulled out his trusty hammers and began bashing away at monsters, occasionally throwing a small ball of flames at a particularly tricky enemy. That was why it had all gone to Hades._

_One of the more daring monsters had managed to sneak up on Leo, and he threw himself into a hasty back flip to avoid it's razor claws, a jet of flames arching from his fingertips as he landed solidly on his feet. Unfortunately, the monster was nimble enough to dodge, and Leo watched in horror as his flames seared Annabeth's arm._

_It wasn't a horrific burn, but it was enough for Annabeth to lose some of her concentration, resulting in a painful slice across her upper arm. While her defences were low, another monster attempted to sneak up on her, and Leo leapt in front of the claws. A nauseating tearing sensation swept through his abdomen. Eventually, they won the battle and the monsters were dispelled back into the dusty air of Tartarus._

_Black spots slid across Leo's vision, and he momentarily doubled over, arms instinctively trying to stem the flow of blood. He straightened up, just in time for a fist to make it's way into his eyes. Leo collapsed to the floor, agony radiating from his stomach. Percy loomed over him, an intimidating scowl on his face that rivalled the one Leo had recieved after blowing up the Romans._

_"Percy!" Annabeth's voice was admonishing, but Percy's overprotective rage was too strong._

_"Are you so stupid, Valdez, that you can't tell friend from foe, or have you always lacked that skill?" Leo tried to convince himself that Percy was just angry, that he wouldn't imply that he still thought Leo was a traitor because of the Eidolon incident, yet the words still stung._

_Even though his face was down-turned, Leo could still see Percy's silhouetted against the glaring sun and Annabeth clutching her scorched arm. The sight of burnt flesh (despite the wound not being serious) made Leo gag, bringing painful memories of both his mother and his nightmares. However, Percy wasn't done yet._

_"Your flames have hurt enough people, haven't you got them under control yet." Leo felt himself flinch. Percy's tone was filled with annoyance, and even though Percy didn't realise just how accurate his statement had been, Leo's head fell further. He heard Annabeth (who knew a rudimentary version of his mother's death unlike her boyfriend) audibly gasp and his shoulders drooped._

_Percy was right. Leo had hurt enough people with his flames, and he needed to get them under control, fast. He was a danger, a liability, no wonder they all had to babysit him whenever he left the Argo, he had already started one war, they didn't need him starting another._

_Leo was on his feet in a flash, swaying slightly. _

_"You're right. I'm sorry." He choked out, before sprinting away, unaware that he had left his friends staring at a shimmering, rustic puddle of blood._

_As soon as Leo had gotten to the ship, he began cursing himself in every language that he knew. Now Percy probably saw him as a coward instead of just an idiot. He had raced through the ship, stopping only to bandage his wounds and grab a painkiller before he made his way to the training room. No one had spotted him, and Leo knew that they would never think to look for him in the training room, Leo did most of his training at night when he couldn't sleep. Clearly he hadn't done enough if he was still making the same rookie mistakes._

That had been a good few hours ago, and no one had found Leo. He stood up, stifling the sobs that threatened to break out of his mouth. Once he had gained some semblance of calm, he restarted his motions, throwing in a few of his favourite flips and tricks that he had learnt for freerunning.

The pain in his stomach reached excruciating levels mid-flip, and Leo came crashing to the ground painfully. He groaned as cartoon Festus' flew around his head. Damn, he'd cracked his head hard. Suddenly, he felt cool hands probing his head gently, and his eyes came into focus on the sight of Nico Di Angelo, who's mouth was set in a grim line.

"As impressive as that display was, what in the name of my father possessed you to carry out a stunt like that while wounded?" Nico's words were so cold, Leo could almost see frost coming from his mouth.

"I was training." He muttered defensively. Nico's face twisted even more.

"We've been searching for you for ages." Leo was happy that his friends would even bother to search for him, but his mood plummeted when he realised that Percy was probably searching so that he could point out a few more of Leo's flaws, and maybe use him instead of a straw dummy to practise cool sword tricks on.

"Sorry." He grumbled, and he was sorry that Nico and the others had wasted their time searching for him. He was certain that they had more important things to do than search for a runty brat of a demigod who was too scared to face up to his friend's well deserved wrath.

"I guess that I've got to take you to the infirmary, again. I'll go fetch Percy, Grace or Zhang" Nico said, and Leo flinched.

"Nah, I'm fine here." Leo really didn't want Nico to have to patch him up again, and he really didn't want to see the burn on Annabeth's arm again. It made him sick just thinking about it. And thinking of the dark look in Percy's eyes made him feel like scum. So yeah, staying in the training room was looking incredibly attractive to Leo at that moment.

Unfortunately, life had decided to ignore Leo's opinion once again, and a wave of pain sent him into the deep black pit of unconsciousness when Nico tried to move his shirt to get a look at the wound.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico almost passed out himself when his friend's eyes rolled back into his head and his body slumped bonelessely, a feeling that was compounded when he saw the injury in it's full glory.

The wound was weeping and dark tendrils of purple poison were creeping up Leo's tanned chest from the site of the injury. Nico stared for a few seconds, stupefied at how Leo had managed to do any training, especially the flips and stuff, with this infecting his body.

Nico wished that he could move Leo safely, but they were the exact same height and Nico wouldn't risk Leo further by attempting to carry him to the sick bay. He ventured out as swiftly as he could in search of Jason or Frank. Percy could probably help, but Nico had seen Leo blanch at the mention of Percy, and by Percy's own admission they had had an argument earlier.

Nico was incredibly lucky as a few seconds into his search, he discovered Grace and McLean who had also been scouring the ship for their Latin friend.

"Any sign, Nico?" Piper panted out. Nico nodded.

"Hurry Grace, his injury's worse than Percy and Annabeth thought." To give the other two demigods credit, right after the last word left his mouth, they were all sprinting towards the training room.

When they arrived, Leo was sweating and panting, choked Spanish words leaving his lips every now and again. Jason and Piper went white, and Nico felt the colour drain from his own skin.

"Di immortales" Jason breathed, before walking over to their fallen friend. Jason then proceeded to scoop Leo up into a bridal hold, careful to not agitate Leo's wound.

"Nico, will you go prepare the sick bay bed for me? Piper, you should fetch the others." Piper nodded, sending one last concerned glance towards Leo before darting off to alert the others to Leo's condition. Nico loathed leaving Leo like this, but he knew that Jason would take care of him and that the only way for Nico to help at that moment was to do as Jason asked.

He reluctantly ran ahead to the infirmary, and remained there anxiously waiting after laying out all the necessary supplies for healing a demigod. Jason arrived just a few moments later, and placed Leo delicately on the bed. The others toppled in after him. Everyone looked worried, but Percy looked sick.

"I didn't think it was this bad." His mournful tone snapped Nico's restraint.

"Did you even bother checking? What did you do Perseus Jackson?" Everyone stared at him in shock except for Annabeth and Hazel who were busy trying to remove the poison from Leo's system.

Percy's P.O.V

Percy couldn't bare the sight of Leo looking so... ill. His skin was almost bleached of all colour except for his cheeks which were flushed with high fevor (something intensely wrong for a son of Hepheastus who was immune to fire) and the wicked purple trails that had spread along his chest and were now making an attempt to mark Leo's throat. He thought he felt terrible, but when Nico whirled on him with all the fury of Hades himself, Percy felt the shame churning in his stomach.

"He burnt Annabeth." Percy's defence was weak to his own ears, and Nico looked even more incensed at the pathetic attempt to avoid blame.

"Did you give him a chance to apologise or even explain what happened?" Percy looked at the ground, and Nico made a noise of pure anger.

"When he wakes up you will apologise, but only when he wants to see you." Percy spluttered at this, but then he realised that maybe this was for the best. From the way Nico was acting, Percy had seriously hurt the Latino elf boy.

"Okay." He acquiesced. Nico looked a little shocked at the lack of resistance or reluctance.

"He deserves to rest before having to see my stupid face again. And he deserves to choose whether or not to give me a chance for forgiveness." With that, Percy left the room.

"Give me any updates on his status, I'll look after the ship." He called over his shoulder as he made his way into the corridor.

Nico's P.O.V

It was a harrowing few hours. Annabeth and Hazel slaved away over Leo in an effort to stabilise him whilst also trying to remove the poison. Finally, the girls stepped back.

"Is he okay?" He asked.

"The worst of the poison should be out of his system, but the after effects of detoxing the rest may last for a couple of days. He's going to have to stay in bed for a while.

"He's not going to like that." At Nico's statement, a furious yet somewhat tender look settled onto Hazel's face.

"Well he'll just have to put up with it for not getting this sorted straight away before it could do so much damage!" She declared. Annabeth ran a hand through her hair, and sighed.

"I'm going to go talk to Percy, let him know that Leo's stable." Everyone left in the room nodded, and Annabeth trudged out wearily.

"So who's going to stay to make sure that Leo's condition doesn't change?" Frank inquired.

"I will." They all looked a little startled that Nico had volunteered, except for his sister who simply smiled at him warmly.

"Nico can have first shift then. I'll take over in three hours, and then Piper can replace me after another three hours." They all nodded at Jason's plan, and the others filed out solemnly. Hazel hugged Nico swiftly before she left.

"I'm glad that you are friends." She whispered in his ear before dashing out to catch up with her boyfriend. Nico sat at Leo's side, not really expecting Leo to wake up considering all that he had gone through.

That's why, an hour and a half later when Leo twitched away, Nico almost ended up in his father's domain as a permanent resident. Leo's pain clouded eyes looked up at him.

"Is this room the official meeting place of our crappy past club, because we seem to spend a lot of our time in here?" Leo's joke was as weak as his voice, but Nico felt relief course through his body at the fact that Leo was even capable of making a joke.

It came crashing down on him then, the fact that his friend could have easily slipped into his father's realm that night. He didn't know who was more surprised - him or Leo - when he wrapped his arms around the sick boy.

"You scared the schist out of me." He remarked.

"Sorry." Leo's warm arms wrapped tentatively around Nico, and Nico decided that discussing whatever stupid thing Percy had done could come later, for now he was simply happy that Leo was alive.

* * *

So poor Leo is bedridden and Nico was really worried. And Percy was a bit of a douche, but that will be rectified. Overprotective Nico is a Nico that you don't want to anger. Feel free to tell me your opinion on whether or not I should occasionally add another P.O.V to this, and I'll see you next time.


	8. Chapter 8

There will be a little more angst in this chapter but it will mostly be fluff. And thanks for all the positive to Percy's P.O.V and for all the faves and follows.

TimeyWimeyGirl4 : Their bromance is indeed epic, as is overprotective Nico.

AmaebLEO : Is this soon enough? And I'm glad that you enjoyed Percy's part.

Fantasiedreamar : Was it a tear of happiness or sadness?

Neon Wish : Wow as in wow, you're a jerk Percy?

Rainbowchameleon : Yay, happiness is good.

QueenofLothlorien : I will be doing a few more P. throughout this, so thanks for the feedback. And Nico has Leo senses :) Percy was a douche, and incurring Nico's wrath is never a good thing.

Pseudorific : Thank you, I'm really lucky to have you betaing for me :)

Booyahkasha : I'm glad that you love it.

HowlingRain : Thank you for the advice, I'll try to put the P. in a way to give them a bigger impact in he future. And don't we all wish that we could do flips and stuff.

Lordofthenight97 : Thank you for reading all of my fics and for saying that I am executing the bromance very well.

ObsessedwReading : Thanks, I'm happy to have kept them in character.

Disclaimer : I am unfortunately not the proud owner of PJO no matter how much I beg and plead. I also don't own any of the Disney princesses.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

If Nico had thought that Leo was hyperactive normally, after the few hours of being stuck in the sick bay, Nico was starting to rethink the definition of the word hyper in relation to Leo. The Latino boy was virtually bouncing of the walls.

After he had woken up, Nico had explained everything about the injury to Leo in great detail, clarifying just how long it had taken to heal him. Leo had gone pale, and Nico was grimly satisfied to think that maybe he would consider the risks before pulling another idiotic stunt like this one.

He left out the part about Percy, Leo could work that out with the son of Poseidon on his own terms. Nico knew that true forgiveness couldn't be forged if someone intervened.

Anyway, Nico had finished his explanation and exactly two minutes later Leo had attempted to leave the infirmary. Nico had practically sat on him, and told Leo in no uncertainty that Leo was going to rest or Nico was going to summon a skeleton guard to keep an eye on him at all times.

Nico had almost carried out that threat when he had returned from alerting the others to Leo's awakening and found the fiery boy missing. Luckily Leo had stepped out of the bathroom before Nico could make a fool out of himself in front of Annabeth by bringing forth one of his skeletal servants.

After a cursory check up by Annabeth, the boys had been left with a warning that Leo had to stay and rest or else. Now, Nico was watching as Leo almost crawled out of his skin with boredom. He had made creation after creation, but nothing seemed to sate his desire for excitement. Annabeth had also warned that Leo couldn't do anything strenuous, so not only was the mechanic stuck in bed, he also couldn't make anything bigger than his hands.

Nico finally got an idea as Leo began bouncing a colourful bouncy ball across the infirmary.

"I'll be back in a minute." He promised, and as he left the room of healing he heard Leo mutter;

"You better!" Nico left with a brief smile, but then he realised what he was about to do. Leo may not be cruel, but he was definitely a joker, and this could potentially give him a lot of ammo. Nico shook his head. His idea would alleviate the others boredom, and he was pretty sure that Leo wouldn't tease about this if it helped cure that.

The son of Hades reached his room and once he had entered, made his way over to the closet in the corner. Reverently, he reached inside and pulled out a collector's case. A Mythomagic card collector's case to be precise. With his precious collection clutched to his chest, he darted back to the room where his friend was cooped up.

"Wow, that was fast. Did you miss being away from me that much?" The slight teasing edge to Leo's voice was replaced by curiosity as he observed the bundle in Nico's hands.

"Yes. Every second away from you was like a year." Nico dead-panned as he sat on the bed, facing Leo. A torrent of nervous feelings swirled in his stomach as he debated on whether Leo was going to make fun of him for his unorthodox obsession with Mythomagic. Not many people appreciated the merits of the game, and Nico was suddenly worried that Leo would ditch him for his sort of geeky hobby. He was pleasantly surprised when Leo gave him a look of genuine interest.

"This is based on Greek mythology, right?" Nico nodded.

"You best have a Hephaestus card then." Leo settled into a more comfortable position, and Nico regaled him with the rules of his favourite game.

They played about ten rounds but in the middle of Nico's shift, both demigods were yawning. Nico slid off the bed, and due to Leo's urging, retired to the chair next to it. The adrenaline from the day finally disappeared and Nico found himself drifting off despite the fact that he needed to keep an eye Leo.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo had enjoyed playing Mythomagic with Nico even though he had lost pretty much every round. His friend was now curled up and sleeping in the chair that was placed beside Leo's bed. He itched to get up and leave, but he knew that Nico would never forgive himself if something happened to Leo under his watch.

So Leo remained confined in his sick bed, desperately wanting to go work on the engines or talk to Festus or something that didn't remind him of his epic fail from earlier.

The door to the sick bay creaked open, and Leo stared at it with a worried expression – if this was a monster attack then he wasn't in the best position to defend himself or his sleeping friend. Thankfully it wasn't a monster stepping into the room. It wasn't much better for Leo, however, as Percy stepped through the crack, a look of complete seriousness on his face.

Percy froze when he noticed that Leo was sitting up.

"Erm, hi." He said in a hushed voice, one hand awkwardly raking through his hair. Then Percy seemed to notice the sleeping figure also in the room.

"He's sleeping with you!" Leo instantly blushed at what this statement insinuated. Percy looked humiliated.

"No! I don't mean it like that, I just meant that he well... he seems to be quite close to you." Percy then face palmed.

"This isn't going the way I planned." He groaned. Leo tensed, anxiety coiling within him as he contemplated just how badly his fellow demigod was going to wail on him for Annabeth's injury.

"Look man, I'm really, really sorry for hurting Annabeth. There was a monster and I know that there's no excuse but I wasn't aiming at—" Percy held up his hands, and Leo braced for the fist that was probably going to launch into his other eye. The bruise for the first one hadn't puffed up because of the amount of ambrosia in his system, but Leo could feel it lurking underneath his skin. When he didn't feel the impact, he cracked one of his eyes open slightly to see Percy staring at him sadly.

"I'm not going to hit you bro." He reached a hand out to touch the eye that he had punched. Leo flinched and watched as Percy recoiled.

"I shouldn't have punched you then, it wasn't your fault and I over reacted. I shouldn't have said any of that crap either." Percy looked so repentant, and Leo sighed.

"It's fine." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nico wince. Percy apparently didn't notice any abnormal behaviour.

"No, it's not fine. I was stupid and cruel. You just always seem to be in the wrong place when I'm angry." Leo looked up at the older boy.

"Seriously, Aqua Man, it's fine." Percy finally seemed to catch on to the fact that Leo had seriously forgiven him.

"So how did this happen?" He asked, gesturing to Nico.

"Well when a mommy and a daddy..." Percy raised an eyebrow, and Leo smirked.

"We realised that we had some interesting things in common." Leo didn't elaborate on what exactly these things were, and Percy didn't seem willing to strain the calm mood.

"Well I suppose that I better leave you and Sleeping Beauty in peace then." Percy backed away, and Leo laughed.

"See ya, Ariel." As soon as Percy had left, Nico sat up angrily.

"He punched you." Leo had hoped that Nico wouldn't find that out, and the dark glint in Nico's eyes told him that that would have been the safer option.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!" Nico looked furious.

"Then we can prank him once I'm released, okay?" Nico looked even more incensed.

"I can't believe that idiot. He didn't notice that you were seriously injured and he punched you in the face. What did he say to you?" And there went Leo's last hope of playing this off.

"It was nothing, just some stupid words at the end of a heated battle." Leo felt Nico's glare increase.

"What. Did. He. Say?" He ground out.

"Look, I've forgiven him so just drop it." Leo felt his own temper flare, he just wanted to forget this incident – why couldn't Nico just let it go?

"You forgave him way too easily." Leo jolted in surprise at this statement.

"Since when was it up to you to dictate when I should forgive someone?"

"Since you clearly are too forgiving." Nico folded his arms stubbornly.

"It's none of your business whether I forgive him or not." Leo bristled at the way Nico was behaving.

"Are you that desperate to belong with them that you are willing to allow them to walk all over you?" Nico's words were like a frosty whip, biting into Leo's skin. How could he bring up Leo's deepest insecurities and trample over them like they were nothing? Leo felt his own rage boil over.

"Like you can lecture me on friendship, I'm the only person on board the ship apart from Hazel who talks to you!" Nico stiffened and now they were both glaring at each other. The tension in the room had rocketed, and with it the temperature. Leo had the feeling that it would seriously come to blows if Jason hadn't walked into the room. Nico gave him one last scathing, poisonous glare before flouncing out of the room. Leo buried his head into his hands.

Jason's P.O.V

Jason had no clue what was going on. He had come to relieve Nico of Leo watching duty, but instead he had walked in on what seemed to be a Mexican standoff. Nico had promptly stormed out of the room, and Leo was now trembling on the bed, head in his hands.

"What happened?" Jason asked the small Latino with worry.

"Nothing." Leo choked out. Jason padded into the room tentatively, and then he noticed a strange tin sitting on the bedside table. Leo followed his gaze, and his face crumpled even more.

"I'm going to sleep." The younger demigod muttered, turning so that his face was out of Jason's range of vision. Jason wondered what had happened to shatter the friendship that had been developing between Leo and Nico. He hoped that whatever it was wasn't irreversible. For both of their sakes. Because, if he wasn't mistaken, Nico's eyes had been filled with tears as he had raced past him, and Leo was clearly shaking slightly. They were both hurt.

* * *

Oh no! The boys have had their first proper fight. Let's hope that they can make up soon :) As always, feel free to leave me a review and I'll see you next time.


	9. Chapter 9

Now the boys have to make friends again :( And this is really important, should this be turned into a yaoi or not? I know that I mentioned having Calypso at the beginning of this but a few of you have asked and I was just wondering if the majority would mind me turning this into a yaoi (though it wouldn't be anything explicit, it would just be kissing)Thanks for all the faves and follows.

Enhisbeautiful : Thank you, and I will.

Neon Wish : Yep, they do need to make up soon (and it was kind of uncalled for).

ParkerERoy13 : Thank you so much and whether it becomes a yaoi or not depends on you guys.

HowlingRain : I would definitely buy it, especially if he added in the demigods.

Fantasiedreamar : Sorry! You'll hopefully feel better after this chapter.

QueenofLothlorien : Thanks, and I can see them acting like an old married couple as well.

Rainbowchameleon : I know, it's really sad how Leo seems to think that he deserves to suffer.

ObsessedwReading : The crush will definitely be a part, but I'm still trying decide on whether this will be a Valdangelo or not.

MarissaTodd : That's up to you readers.

Disclaimer : Leo would be the main character if I owned the books.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo couldn't believe that he had been that stupid. Sure, Nico hadn't exactly pulled his punches, but Leo liked to think that he could be rational and instead he had retaliated just as harshly. Now he had probably ruined the relationship that had been budding up between them. Why did he screw everything up!

After the poison incident, Leo had been stuck in bed for three more days before Annabeth finally caved due to his incessant badgering. Nico hadn't visited him once.

Leo was currently watching over Festus and trying to convince himself that he didn't want to cry. Maybe this was for the best. Nico was a good person and he didn't deserve to be stuck with someone like Leo who had such a messed up past. Leo couldn't even keep the damn ship together longer than a few days, he was useless.

He slumped slightly over the railing, staring out to sea. They were so far away from land, Leo couldn't even run. Well he could... but he wasn't going to do that. He had promised himself that that was his absolute last resort, and besides, he had a quest to complete. He sighed, leaning over the railing and miserably typing out "sorry" in Morse code.

Festus seemed to pick up on his creator's misery, his head seemed to bow lower than ever. And didn't that just symbolise how much of a failure Leo was, he even managed to make his dragon miserable, never mind the fact that it was his fault that Festus was just a head.

Leo wished that he could find a way to make it up to Nico, but the boy could literally disappear if he didn't want to be found. And apparently he didn't want to be found right now.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico sat, arms tightly wrapped around himself, in the crows nest and tried to ignore the miserable Latino beneath him on the deck. Nico was freezing, but if he went down now then he'd have to face Leo, and he really didn't want to do that. Nico couldn't believe just how much of an idiot he'd been. Why had he acted like it was his right to dictate who Leo forgave? And why had he thought it was a good idea to call Leo desperate for friendship? After all, Leo was friends with pretty much everybody on the Argo, and Nico had pretty much destroyed the only true friendship he had. Sure, he got along with his sister but she was pretty much obligated to like him. And Percy was like a friend. Nico instinctively buried the other feelings that came with thinking about Percy, he was still annoyed with the idiot for hurting Valdez. Though that was a bit hypocritical, Nico had hurt Leo as well. Sure, Leo had said some mean things back, but Nico had definitely started the fight.

Nico placed his arms on the rim of the crows nest, pillowing his head on them and furtively glancing down at Leo.

Shame welled up within Nico as he noticed a subtle tear trace it's way along the tanned boys cheek and past his jaw. He had made Leo cry, he didn't deserve him as a friend. The night was pretty much silent, and Nico swore that he could hear sniffles coming from the Latino. His heart clenched.

Hazel emerged from below deck and placed a comforting hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Is he still avoiding you?" Her voice was gentle, but Leo flinched as if she had struck him.

"He has every right to." Leo's voice was filled with self depreciation and Hazel looked sadly at him.

"I wish you two would make up already, you were becoming such good friends." Leo frowned.

"Maybe he's better off. I just screw everything up."

"No you don't!" Hazel's voice conveyed he same level of shock that Nico's did. Did Leo seriously think that this was all his fault. This had clearly gone on too long. Nico slid down to the deck. Hazel nodded to with a luck that said "you two need to make up now" before she muttered goodbye and scurried away.

"We need to talk." Nico looked at his dejected friend.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo prayed to any God who felt like taking pity on him that he didn't mess this up.

"I'm sorry." He blurted out. Nico stared at him as if he was crazy, and Leo hoped that it wasn't because Nico was planning on never forgiving him.

"Why are you sorry?" Nico's voice was cold, but not chillingly so.

"Because you were trying to be a good friend, and what I said was horrible." Nico now just looked confused.

"I'm the one who started it. And then I wasn't brave enough to talk to you afterwards. I didn't even come visit you again." Nico looked ashamed of himself, and Leo scrambled to try and get that look of his face.

"I shouldn't have hounded you, you had every right to ignore me." Nico actually face palmed.

"Why do you insist on taking the blame for everything?"

"Because everything is usually my fault." Leo felt claws of desperation as the thought passed his lips. The silent mantra that had stuck with him through every home and every sewer. He **always **messed something up, hell, he'd started a war with the Romans. He was brought out of his dark musings as Nico initiated a hug, cold arms wrapping around Leo's warm waist.

"Let me take the blame this time Leo. It's only fair that I carry my own burdens instead of letting you carry them for me when you are already carrying so much." Leo buried his face in Nico's shoulder.

"A fight between friends is a burden for both parties." He murmured.

"I didn't know that you were into philosophy." The hug felt nice, despite the fact that two extremes were clashing within it - the cold of death and the warmth of life. Leo wasn't actually sure which of these elements he represented, his fire could symbolise death just as much as Nico's powers. He hugged his friend a little harder.

"I'm not a philosopher, I'm just a mechanic."

"You're not just a mechanic, you're also my best friend." Leo froze as Nico declared this with complete conviction.

"Best friend?" Leo wasn't proud of the fact that his voice wavered on this question.

"Of course." Was Nico's simple reply. Leo smiled. Maybe he hadn't screwed this up completely.

* * *

Sorry that this is so short :( But on another really important note, if you have any objection on this story becoming a yaoi (nothing more than kissing remember) then don't hesitate to tell me. I want to see where the majority lean, if more people want Calypso then I will bring Calypso in eventually.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, I've officially decided where I am going with this story. This will be a Caleo fic BUT I will write a Valdangelo sequel. To make a Caleo that fits with the Leo/Nico bromance, I may need to alter the canon events slightly so please bear with me. Thank you for all of the answers and for all the faves/follows and thanks to Pseudorific for being my beta reader.

Fantasiedreamar : The sequel will definitely be a Valdangelo, I'm sorry but I've got to make rhis a Caleo to be fair.

Neon Wish : This one was a lot happier then the last one.

TimeyWimeyGirl4 : This fic will just be focusing on the bromance.

QueenofLothlorien : He is a very special boy.

MarissaTodd : I'm glad that you don't have a problem with it as the sequel will be yaoi.

RoseAmy13LunaGinny : There will be lots of Leo/Nico snuggling in the sequel.

HowlingRain : Thank you so much for trusting my judgement. I hope that everyone can be satisfied with the choice that I have made.

DamnYouPeopleWithCoolUserNames : Calypso will be brought in, and I'm glad that you love it.

8839 : Calypso will be brought in eventually.

Guest : The sequel will be Valdangelo, hopefully I can bring across the good aspects of this story into that.

ObsessedwReading : The crush will be brought up and Calypso will appear.

Epiphany Aria Grace : Thank you, I am trying really hard to write well.

Guest : I've decided what to do now so thank you for helping out.

ParkerERoy13 : It's good to be persistent. I'm sorry but the sequel will be yaoi to make it up to all of you yaoi fans. And I'm not really that talented, I just love writing and I think that comes across in my work.

Rainbowchameleon : The sequel will be Valdangelo I swear.

: You are not the first person to say that, Calypso will be brought in eventually.

* * *

Disclaimer : The series would be very different if I owned it. As would Assassin's Creed.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico felt relieved that he and Leo had made up. Life on the Argo had been very strange without the warm presence of the hyperactive Latino. The boys were currently settled in the engine room, Leo working diligently, and Nico helping in any way he could.

Leo arched his shoulders, and Nico wordlessly handed him a can of Pepsi. The grateful look from Leo made Nico smile, he looked as if he had just been handed a great gift instead of a can of Pepsi.

They had been working like this for a while, Leo handling the actual labour with Nico silently discerning Leo's visible ticks. For instance, when Leo stretched his shoulders, he was very likely to want a drink. Nico found it... nice to be acting in tandem with someone else. As a son of Hades, he hadn't had the opportunity to work with many people in any way, especially not in a one on one setting. Nico had to admit, it was kind of fun watching Leo. The expressions he made told you so much about what he was thinking. Like when his eyebrows tilted downwards, he was deep in thought over a convoluted problem. When his mouth tipped up on one side and his eyebrows relaxed, he had figured out the solution.

It took Nico a short while to notice that every now and then, Leo's hands would remove themselves from his work to tap out an unusual rhythm on his leg. Nico observed this phenomenon a couple of times, before finally deciding to confront Leo. His curiosity over this quirk, this unique facet of Leo's behaviour, and he had to find out what it meant.

"What does the tapping mean?" Leo glanced up in confusion, his left hand tapping out another beat. Then, his eyes lit up in awareness, and he flushed, making Nico even more curious about what the motion could mean.

"It's Morse code." Leo turned back to his work. Nico blinked.

"You know Morse code?" He suddenly burst out, causing Leo to jump.

"Yeah, I've known it since I was little. My mom taught me as a way of keeping in contact no matter where I was in the workshop." Leo looked sad for a moment, but then he made a conscious effort to perk up.

"So you know four languages?" Leo nodded, once again distracted by his work, and Nico was grateful that his friend was unaware of the amazed look on his face. Nico couldn't help admiring his friend.

"Well, I actually know five if you count creak and squeak, the language of the machines."

"So you really can talk to Festus?" Leo laughed at the astonishment in Nico's voice.

"No, I just pretend that my friend Happy the dragon head can talk to me." Nico was grateful that he caught on to the sarcasm before he made himself look like an idiot.

"Morse code looks like a pretty useful skill." Nico remarked. An unholy glee lit up Leo's eyes, and Nico feared for his safety. Leo obviously had an idea.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo felt a wave of excitement.

"I could teach you!" He exclaimed. Nico looked unconvinced, and Leo prattled on.

"We could have our own secret language and send each other messages. Oh, but Annabeth knows Morse code as well so she'd understand what we were saying, but still, in the event of a monster attack were we have to be stealthy it good be really handy." Leo knew that he was rambling, but the idea was one of his best so far.

Nico seemed to have warmed up to the idea a little more.

"Like a secret code." He looked at Leo who nodded enthusiastically. Nico's lips curved into a grin, and Leo knew that his idea had been accepted.

They had started off with the basics, and Nico was picking up the complex code relatively fast.

"So do you know any languages apart from English and Greek?" Leo inquired through Morse code. Nico frowned in concentration.

"Italian." He tapped out.

"Really!" Leo tapped out.

"Yes." Nico sent back. Leo felt his face almost split with how wide his grin had grown.

"This is so cool." He spoke this instead of transmitting it through Morse code. Nico was also smiling.

"It is pretty fun."

"I'll teach you some more tomorrow, but it's best to let what you've learnt sink in for now." Nico nodded his assent, and Leo stood up, stretching till he heard his bones pop. Nico also got up and stretched in a remarkably feline way. Leo kept that thought to himself, he didn't feel like invoking Nico's wrath right now.

They ambled through the ship, basking in the comfortable air surrounding them. Leo couldn't help feeling intensely grateful that Nico had forgiven him, that Nico was his friend. He noticed Jason up ahead, and sent his friend a grin.

"Hey, Superman." Jason looked at the two warily for a moment, and then he too grinned.

"It's good to see you two are talking again." The comment was filled with genuine relief, and Leo blushed as he realised that his and Nico's fight hadn't been as subtle as he had hoped.

"Yeah we're both cool now."

"I thought you were warm." Leo almost choked as Nico, NICO, made a sarcastic comment.

"Well, I'm special, I'm both hot and cool." Leo pulled a dramatic hero pose, and his friends laughed (Jason looked surprised that Nico was laughing and being sarcastic).

"I'll see you later then when you've made up your mind about what temperature you want to be." Jason waved and walked away. Nico and Leo continued walking, coming to a halt outside of the games room.

"Do you want to play some video games?" Leo looked over at Nico who seemed a little embarrassed.

"I've never played a video game before." He muttered, and Leo felt his eyebrows almost become airborne in shock.

"That, my friend, must be rectified right now." Leo flung the door open and dragged Nico in. He heard his friend gasp. The room was filled with numerous gaming console that Piper had donated or the Hermes cabin had "acquired" for the Argo. The perks of travelling on a warship that had been made by a genius: the tech wouldn't be detected by the monsters. Though the monsters apparently didn't get the memo that the ship was meant to be virtually undetectable. Monsters, always making you second guess yourself. Gotta hate them.

"Welcome to paradise." Leo declared as he jumped over the back of the couch and settled into its plush cushions. Nico wandered around, taking his time to drink everything in.

"This looks a little like the Lotus Hotel." Leo looked up in confusion, he remembered that Nico had said something previously about being stuck in a hotel.

"You were surrounded by video games, and yet you never played any?" Nico looked wistful.

"I preferred playing games from my time or Mythomagic with my sister." Leo tried to ignore the "from my time" portion of that sentence, but evidently his thoughts were shown on his face.

"I was born in the 1930s." Nico looked a little afraid for Leo's reaction to this admission.

"Wow you look good for your age." Leo's attempt at humour was reward with a slight crack of a smile.

"Look, if this makes you uncomfortable then I can grab a pack of cards from my belt instead." Leo volunteered, but Nico shook his head.

"I'm a part of this century now, I need to learn to live in it." Leo was impressed by Nico's determination, and gestured to all the different systems and games.

"Do you want to choose something to play?" He offered.

"Which ones can we both play." Leo smiled softly.

"Choose anything, as you've never played before, I'll show you the ropes of any game."

Nico stepped forwards, and plucked a game up.

"This one." He thrust it at Leo, a slight blush tainting his cheeks. Leo glanced at the title, and laughed gently.

"Of course you would choose the game set in Italy."

Nico's P.O.V

Nico felt his face burn when Leo laughed at his choice, but he knew that the other demigod wasn't being mean, so he didn't get defensive. He sat on the couch as Leo set up one of the many machines that were littered across the room.

"You really should start with the first Assassin's Creed, but I'll fill you in on the story as you go." Leo came and sat next to him, handing him a strange controller. A bubble of happiness welled in Nico's chest as Leo clicked on a pre-made character for Nico. Apparently Leo had made him a profile in case he ever wanted to play, despite the fact that they had never really talked until recently. It gave Nico a small sense of belonging.

His friend explained the buttons briefly, and Nico felt a rush of relief as the Latino mentioned tutorial. Before the game actually started, Leo gave him a short overview of what had happened in the previous game.

Nico was enjoying the game. It was quite an interesting story, and Leo kept giving him tips and filling him on little bits of the games background. He wasn't very good at the controls, but Leo patiently explained them to him whenever he forgot.

The situation was made even funnier as Leo's ADHD kept kicking in, making him point out random glitches in the game, such as a man riding his horse into a wall repeatedly, with the horse's head actually glitching through the wall.

After about an hour of solid "gaming" (Leo's words), Nico tossed the controller over to Leo.

"Your turn." Leo rolled his eyes.

"This is meant to be for you to play video games, not me." He grumbled. Nico smiled.

"But I can learn how to play by watching you." He stated. Leo gave in, switching over to his character.

"I'll put the first game in so I don't ruin the story for you. I'm playing it again to make sure that I unlock all of the achievements." Nico settled down to watch his friend's progress.

Leo played the game with an ease that made Nico feel humiliated. He knew that eo had been playing longer, and as a son of Hephaestus Leo had a natural affinity with machines, but Nico still felt a little inferior. And then he noticed the look of complete contentment on Leo's face.

"I love this game." Leo broke away from the screen to smile at Nico as he said this, and Nico felt his face respond instantly. He was learning more and more about his friend, and he couldn't help feeling thankful to the fire user for introducing him to so many different experiences.

It took Nico a long few minutes to notice that Leo had paused the game and was now observing him with a somewhat fond look.

Nico looked at his hand, and found that he had been tapping out the Morse for "thank you". His cheeks blazed.

"You're welcome." His head snapped up as Leo turned back to the game, after tapping out his response to Nico's subconscious message.

* * *

Leo and Nico are slowly learning more about each other, and Leo is bringing Nico into this century. And I don't know if Nico ever played any of the video games in the Locus Casino, but I get the feeling that he was more of a board game kind of guy.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you all for your support over my decision to make this a Caleo with a Valdangelo sequel. I didn't want to disappoint anybody and I am happy to write either ship. And as I said last time, I will have to alter the canon timeline slightly to bring Calypso into this fic whilst continuing the bromance. Nico is onboard, yet they haven't got the Athena Parthenos yet. And thanks to my Beta for this story, Pseudorific and to everyone who faved or followed.

QueenofLothlorien : Thanks, and they will share their pasts sometime. And yep, Leo's personality is infectious.

Fantasiedreamar : Thank you, and who needs sleep when there are fanfictions to be read?

Neon Wish : Assassin's Creed is a great series of games.

ObsessedwReading : I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it.

HowlingRain : There is so much drama to come *muahaha* and I'm happy that you are excited. Assassin's Creed is awesome :)

WhiteWinterStar : I will have to alter the plot, but I am going to keep as close to canon as I can while bringing Calypso in with Nico still on-board.

Disclaimer : I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the video games referenced in this chapter.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo was enjoying playing video games with Nico. It was kind of nostalgic, playing games like normal teens. He felt more relaxed then he had in weeks.

"So the Nintendo is mostly for family games and the X-box and the playstation are more for teens and adults?" Leo nodded as Nico looked at the different consoles in fascination. Leo had stopped playing Assassin's Creed as he wanted Nico to experience lots of different games. Nico had been as stubborn as usual and refused to choose all the games himself, and so the boys had struck a deal. Nico would choose a game, then Leo and the cycle would repeat itself. Nico was currently trawling through Leo's extensive collection as Leo waited patiently (well as patiently as a demigod with ADHD could manage).

Nico hovered over a game for a few seconds before he moved on reluctantly. Leo stood up to see what Nico had been looking at. A copy of Rock Band for the Wii. Leo felt eyes trained on him, and looked up to meet Nico's embarrassed gaze.

"Did you want to play this?" Nico inclined his head slightly, and Leo had to smile at how adorable is friend was in that moment.

"You don't have to be ashamed of choosing any of these games, considering the fact that I selected all of them. Now do you want to go guitar or drums or mic?"

"Guitar." Leo retrieved the instruments and set up the game, handing Nico one of the guitars. He gave his pale friend a basic run thrugh of the game as he connected the mic.

"Are you going to be singing?" Nico looked at him in apprehension as he grinned.

"I'm going to sing a few of them, but I'm also going to play the other guitar for some songs."

Nico's P.O.V

Nico stared at the screen in desperation, his hands flying to try to match up the stupid colours with the buttons on his guitar. His fingers throbbed, and they had only played a handful of songs. Leo had alternated between singing and using the instruments, and the Latino had shown considerable skill with both. His voice was better then Nico had remebered, and his hands moved expertly over the instruments. Nico didn't know if that was because he was a son of Hephaestus or because his hands were naturally used to rapid movement.

Nico was actually improving, his reflexes had always been pretty decent and now that he was used to the controls his performance was getting much better. Leo smirked at him as the song ended. His Latino companion was a little out of breath as he had been singing at the top of his lungs to one of the hardest songs.

"Do you want to choose your game now?" Leo grinned, and strutted between the stacks of games. He plucked one out of a relatively precarious stack and made his way back to the console, ejecting Rock Band and placing the other disk inside. They cleared up the instruments while the game loaded, and then Leo was setting up the motion sensor (he had taught Nico what that was before allowing Nico to make a selection).

"This game is called Just Dance." Nico felt horror tear through his system at the implication that he had to dance.

"We have to dance!" Leo actually had the nerve to laugh.

"I would have thought that the name would have gave that away."

"I don't dance." Nico tried for a cool statement, but Leo gave him a puppy dog look.

"I thought it would be fun..." Even though Nico knew that Leo was faking his sadness, he still felt a little guilty. Leo had introduced him to so much, and had made him feel more alive then he had for weeks. And as he would be dancing as well, it wasn't as if Nico would be the only one making a fool of himself.

"Fine, but you owe me Valdez." Leo yelped in excitement, and hugged Nico briefly before flicking through the song choices at a manic pace. He deliberated over a few and then started one.

"You have to try and copy the dancer on screen." Leo explained, and Nico tried to emulate the position shown on screen. Nico wasn't sure what the song was, but from what he could tell of the image on screen, it was a Russian one.

He managed to keep up with the movements pretty well considering the fact that he was completely unprepared for the Russian dance moves. At the end of the song, both boys burst out laughing. They had looked ridiculous, completely ridiculous, despite the fact that they had both managed the complicated moves.

"You move well for someone from the 30s."

"And you move well for a mechanic." Nico's reply was sharp, but the edges were dulled as they laughed together. Nico had been amused, watching Leo copy the poses and he had clearly amused Leo.

"Do you want to pick a song?"

"You can choose." Leo swept through the choices again, and the his grin turned devious.

"Lets do this one." Nico was concerned about the devilish glint in Leo's eyes, but decided to go with the flow as he would probably be caught up in it anyway if he tried to resist.

Nico regretted his passive attitude as a slow song suddenly blared out of the TV. A dance that was for a pair, and to a love song, Nico felt like throttling Leo. But then he decided that maybe it would be funnier to go along with this.

The dance began properly, and Nico realised with a flash of triumph that Leo was the female dancer. Served him right. As they went through the motions, Leo went over the top, and Nico soon found himself joining in with his friend's antics. For one move, Nico was dipping Leo who had a hand held to his head in a mock damsel position.

It was this scene that greeted Percy. Nico turned his head as the door opened, and promptly dropped Leo when he noticed Percy gaping in the doorway like the fish that he belonged with.

"Oww" Leo grumbled, but Nico was rooted to the spot with humiliation as his crush gazed at them in utter bewilderment. He had grudgingly forgiven the elder boy when Leo had informed him that Percy had apologised, but his crush couldn't be forgotten as easily as Percy's transgression.

"Erm..." Percy looked incredibly awkward but then he noticed the game that was still running. Leo had picked himself up, rubbing his backside.

"Thanks." Nico hastily apologised, his cheeks burning in mortification. He wondered if he could accidentally shadow travel due to his humiliation. Thankfully, Percy had caught on to what was happening, though Leo was now giving him a suspicious glance. Nico felt a cold sweat break out at the thought of Leo catching on to his crush, but the other boy seemed to shrug of whatever he was thinking about.

"So what can we do for you Aqua man?" Percy gave him a slightly irritated glance.

"I'm not called Aqua Man, and I was looking for you because we seem to be drifting of course and Annabeth can't get us back on track. All joviality disappeared from Leo's face, and Nico marvelled at his ability to switch between carefree to completely serious in an instant.

"I'll go check it out." Leo left the games room and both Percy and Nico followed him. The trio reached the upper deck, and encountered the rest of the seven.

"I don't know what's happening." Annabeth seemed a little distraught, yet Nico also saw a hint of distress that seemed a little odd considering that this wasn't and extreme problem. Leo spoke to Festus and tried to discover why the ship was changing course. He pulled out the Archimedes sphere that he had apparently acquired when they had been trying to rescue Nico and began tinkering with it.

Then the temperature plummeted.

An icy wind blasted the deck, and Annabeth, Frank, Hazel and Percy were suddenly engulfed in ice.

"Hello again, Valdez, Jason and Piper." A frosty voice was heard before a beautiful girl suddenly appeared on deck.

"Khione." Leo snarled, and Nico drew his weapon, observing the other demigods who weren't currently frozen also becoming defensive. Piper, Jason and Leo all looked furious. Jason charged, but he was knocked aside by a winged boy.

"I thought you'd melted back at the Wolf House." Khione laughed at Leo's statement. Her laugh was like ice shattering, lovely to hear but possibly dangerous. Nico felt tense.

"Ah Valdez, your attitude has not improved since I last saw you." The ice goddess smiled icily. "Perhaps a holiday will improve your demeanour."

The wind intensified, and Nico felt true terror as it gripped Leo and hurled him away from the ship. Numerous curses in Latin, Italian and English left his lips, but Jason was out of commission and couldn't get Leo. The tanned boy had still been holding the Archimedes sphere, and he had been wearing his toolbelt so Nico hoped that the Latino would come up with something. He had to.

Nico prayed for his friends safety as he exchanged a look with the daughter of Aphrodite. The pain and fear that he felt was reflected in her eyes but they also showed a resolve as strong as celestial bronze. Together they would have to face their enemies. Together they would have to save Leo's ship so that the boy wouldn't kill them when he returned. And Nico had to believe that his friend would return.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo shrugged off the wreckage of his impromptu glider and observed his surroundings. He was currently seated on a destroyed table on a beautiful island. A shiver of anger ran thorough him. If that evil bruja (witch) hurt his friends or his ship then he was going to actually melt her this time around. A voice snapped him out of his plans to murder a Goddess.

"You broke my table."

* * *

Well I am changing the canon as you can see, but I will try to keep in as much from the books as possible. I actually have somewhat of a plan so hopefully that will turn out well. And I can't remember exactly what Calypso's first words to Leo were so I'm sorry.


	12. Chapter 12

Things are about to get a little more complicated as I have to get Calypso on board the Argo without screwing up the plot too much :( Though I do have an idea for that so please bear with me. The plot will be altered quite a bit... On another note, thanks to anyone who faved or followed and to my brilliant beta Pseudorific.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you :)

Neon Wish : I take it you like Calypso, and approve of her entrance.

WhiteWinterStar : I have an idea that would allow Calypso to be on board the Argo while Nico is there. And I'm glad that you enjoyed Percy's intrusion.

HowlingRain : I'm happy that someone else enjoys my strange sense of humour.

QueenofLothlorien : Thank you! And the boys are just so cute (the bodies would be lost forever if they damaged Leo's precious ship).

Acticonformity : Don't worry, this fic will be platonic though the sequel will be a yaoi.

Pacenya347 : I hope that it's worth the wait.

Disclaimer : Even if I changed my name and gender, I still wouldn't be Rick Riordan.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo was not a happy demigod. Not only had he been thrown off of his ship, but he had been thrown of his ship during an attack on that crazy ice witch Khione, leaving Piper and Nico as the only demigods still able to fight. And now he was stranded on an impossible island with the prettiest girl he had ever met who also happened to hate his guts. It wasn't as if Leo had chosen to be flung here, he had a quest to complete, but no little miss prissy was moaning about a broken table and complaining that Leo wasn't good enough for her island.

Now if Jason was here, man, Leo bet the raft would have sprung up instantly for his handsome friend. But no, ugly, scrawny, little repair boy Leo was stuck here, and as the Gods were meant to be maintaining complete radio silence, he had to either find his own way off or die here with the formidably gorgeous Calypso whilst his friends battled Mother Earth herself. No pressure then.

Calypso had explained to him the principles of getting off of Oh-Gee-Gee-Ah, and despite the fact that

Leo really, really wanted to leave (he had been called a mistake by one too many, and this girl calling him a mistake after he had nearly died really ground his gears) the raft hadn't appeared to whisk him away from this stupid island. And now he was following said girl who had called him a failure, to find out if there was a way of this damn island (though admittedly annoying Calypso was an added bonus). He wanted to see his friends, he wanted to play more games with Nico, mess round with Jason and Piper and just generally be the annoying imp that he usually was. He continued grumbling in his head until he stumbled into the most beautiful garden that he had ever seen.

"Holy Hephaestus!" He stared in amazement at the scene in front of him. And then he noticed the crying beauty queen kneeling in the dirt.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was curled up in the dining room, trying to ignore the arguing demigods and satyr around him. He and Piper had managed to defeat the ice witch and her cronies, and somehow Piper had managed to active Festus permanently, but Leo still hadn't returned and the ship was sailing back to Rome, a place that Nico had been happy to leave behind.

His heart hurt at the thought of the missing Latino. Leo was possibly the only person on board who understood him, and being on Leo's greatest creation without the hyperactive elf felt wrong to Nico. It was as if the other boy had stolen all heat from the ship when he had been tossed from its deck, and all of the demigods were feeling some of the effects of losing his humour, hence the arguing.

"I think that I know where we are going." Annabeth's voice caused an instant ceasefire, as all of the demigods (and Coach Hedge) stared at her, rapt with attention. The blonde girl pulled out a shining silver coin-like object.

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome, Wisdom's daughter walks alone." They all stared at Annabeth in horror.

"I must retrieve the Athena Parthenos, or Camp Half Blood will fall to the Romans."

Leo's P.O.V

Leo didn't know how long he had been stuck on Ogygia (a lot of days had seemed to pass), but at least Calypso seemed to be running up to him. She had even made him a flame proof recreation of his old outfit, and a bag woven with the same magic to keep Frank's lifeline safe. After the visit from Gaia, the two had been united in their efforts to get Leo back to his friends. He had finally finished wiring up the astrolobe and Calypso was standing next to him, sharing a smile of pride at their completed work.

Now Leo just needed to make a boat. They bantered back and forth for a minute or two, as Calypso argued that it was impossible for Leo to return for her, Festus or not.

Leo tried to plead his case, saying that it was only fair that he return for Calypso, when he noticed something bobbing in the water nearby. His mouth dropped open at the sight of a raft, and Calypso sprinted towards it, dragging Leo and their work with her. They worked together in perfect harmony, a feat that Leo had only ever accomplished with Nico. When the guidance system was hooked up, Leo turned and inhaled the Cinnamon smell of his companion.

"Go." Calypso quietly ordered.

"The raft finally got here." Calypso snorted, her delicious smell wafting over him.

"You just noticed?" Her eyes seemed to be red, though the moonlight made it hard to discern.

"But it only shows up for guys you like—"

"Don't push your luck Leo Valdez," she said. "I still hate you."

"Okay."

"And you are not coming back here." She insisted. "So don't give me any empty promises."

"How about a full promise because I swear on the—" Calypso grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss, effectively silencing him. Leo's first kiss.

Once they broke apart Leo, although still dazed from having his first kiss taken by a girl who looks like a supermodel, managed to complete his promise.

"I promise on the River Styx that I will get you off this island." Calypso gasped as he sealed the deal. An oath to keep with a final breath. The sound of cooing made both of their heads whip round.

Lady Aphrodite stood on the beach in all of her resplendent glory (the effect was slightly dull now that Leo had met Calypso) and although she looked overjoyed, a tinge of sadness laced her gaze.

"Do you wish to help Leo in the coming war?" Calypso, still looking startled, nodded.

"How are you even here Lady Aphrodite?" Leo didn't mean to be rude, but good ole Zeus had banned the Gods from intervening, and he was pretty certain that Aphrodite should be having some problems with a major dose of schizophrenia right now.

"Your plight of love has managed to give me enough strength to aid you." Both Leo and Calypso blushed at the word "love".

"How can I help Leo?" Calypso asked, eyes filled with resolve.

"I have a way that your spirit can leave this island for a while and retain its magical abilities." Both Leo's and Calypso's breath caught.

"Your body would stay here of course, but you will be able to provide Leo with magical aid. However, you will be unable to touch any physical object." Calypso turned to Leo, and he was scared to find that her eyes were wet with tears.

"Okay." She mumbled, before a huge grin broke out on her face. Leo had only a second to take in just how radiant Calypso was when she was actually smiling before he was yanked into another kiss. Aphrodite watched for a minute or two, yet her eyes were unreadable. Leo prayed that that wasn't a bad omen. He closed his eyes and sank deeper into the kiss.

When he opened them, he was sitting in the outside part of a cafe, a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him, and the Calypso's lips still on his, though he couldn't feel their pressure at all. Calypso was shimmering, and as she drew back, Leo realised that he could see through her in certain lights. But at least her spirit was off Ogygia. Leo would just have to get her body off when he returned.

Nico's P.O.V

As they couldn't ignore the necessity of Annabeth's quest, they hadn't even attempted to alter the ship's course. Though it would be futile even if they had tried, considering that Leo still hadn't returned to them. Nico choked down the beginnings of a sob. He hadn't felt Leo die, so he had to believe that Leo would return to them safely.

They had finally reached Rome, and Nico felt shudders run through him as he looked upon the land where he had been imprisoned. It had been decided that the demigods would split up when they got off the boat, and as soon as they docked, they got into their teams and departed. Coach Hedge was left behind to guard the ship, and Annabeth had marched of on her own (the argument that she had held with Percy over the fact that she had to go alone was truly terrifying), leaving Percy to team up with Hazel and Frank, whilst Nico was foisted upon Jason and Piper.

Nico's team and Percy's team were going to scrounge up some materials to hopefully get some of the ship fixed. Annabeth had scribbled down everything she knew about the ship (practically nothing when compared to its Supreme Commander) and the five remaining demigods were going to attempt repairs as Annabeth wandered off on a deadly quest all by herself and Leo was missing in action. Great.

As Nico searched around for any of the materials on Annabeth's list, Nico lamented his luck on getting stuck with sickeningly perfect couple number two (sickeningly perfect couple number one was still Percy and Annabeth, and as is ripped his heart into pieces to think about that, he shook those thoughts away). As he stared at passing shops so that he wouldn't be forced into staring at the couple's entwined hands, Nico noticed someone very familiar outside of a little coffee shop, a shimmering girl with cinnamon hair beside him.

Nico seemed rooted to the spot as a tidal wave of feelings almost knocked him over. That messy black hair, those deep chocolate eyes, that devilish smile. The unmistakeable form of Leo Valdez sat in front of a random coffee shop in Rome, and Nico ignored Jason and Piper's concerned questions in favour of racing over to his friend, bowling both him and is chair over with the force of his hug.

"I thought you were lost." He said into Leo's shoulder. He felt warm arms wrap around him, and heat flowed into him again for the first time since Leo's disappearance.

"I was, but now the Super-Sized McShizzle is back, and he's brought a friend." Nico twisted his head to observe the glowing form next to his friend, who seemed to be sizing him up with some befuddlement. Jason and Piper had made their way over, and Nico untangled himself with some embarrassment. Piper quickly replaced him, and Nico found himself in an intense staring competition with Leo's companion. Why in the name of Hades was she here, and what exactly was Leo doing when they had all thought him missing?

Leo squirmed out of Piper's embrace, and Jason helped him to his feet. They joined in with the staring at Calypso. Leo smiled warmly.

"This is Calypso. And she's going to be helping us out." Leo then gave them an incredibly short summary of what had happened. Nico sensed that Leo was leaving out quite a few important details, but decided not to harass hi friend too much. He had a ship to fix.

* * *

Ah, is that a possessive Nico I see? Anyway, I'm sorry about the alterations that I made to the plot, but they are necessary for my story to work. Also, some of the dialogue I use between Calypso and Leo was taken from the book, and I'm sorry if the interaction was rushed but this is primarily a Leo/Nico friendship fic, not a romance.


	13. Chapter 13

And I'm back with the next instalment of The Skull and the Flame. Thanks to all faves/follows and to my beta Jamie.

Pacenya347 : Thank you :)

QueenofLothlorien : Just a tad. And I feel sorry for Nico to. I'm happy that you like both of my stories.

Neon Wish : *Wiggles eyebrows back.*

WhiteWinterStar : Oh yes, the drama is coming.

ObsessedwReading : Not yet. Basically, instead of going to Rome for the Parthenos, they just went for Nico so they could find the doors of death. So, Mark of Athena without the Mark of Athena, everything else important (except Tartarus happened). Now, however, they are going back for the Parthenos.

Mondmaedchen : This story is more focussing on Nico being Leo's friend (albeit slightly possessive).

* * *

Disclaimer : Anything that you can recognise isn't mine.

Nico's P.O.V

Although Nico was genuinely delighted that Leo was back, he wasn't so sure about whatever was going on with that Calypso girl. Something about her just felt... off. She made his skin crawl. But he couldn't say anything without upsetting Leo, and after just getting him back, that wasn't exactly on Nico's agenda.

Nico sidled along beside the bouncing Latino, and tried to ignore the fact that he was now stuck with two couples. At least Leo was making some effort to include him in their conversation. The fiery elf had taken one look at the list of materials that Annabeth had provided, and decided that he could summon most of the other materials from his tool belt, so they were now heading of to try and find the other trio.

They had filled Leo and Calypso in on the Annabeth situation, and Leo had expressed some unease with the thought of any of the demigods being forced to go alone. When they explained that Festus was now permanently active, Leo's smile practically gave Nico sunburn. Nico knew that his friend loved that mechanical dragon masthead, and he felt a weird surge of gratitude towards Piper for making Leo so happy.

They finally tracked down the others, and Leo was subjected to another tackle/hug thanks to Nico's sister.

"Whoa, what's with you siblings and hugging me today?" Leo laughed gently, until Hazel gave him a thoroughly un-amused look.

"We didn't know what had happened to you." The touching reunion was interrupted by Percy practically choking on his own saliva.

"Calypso!" He exclaimed. The girl in question strutted up to Percy, drew back her hand, and slapped him, though as she wasn't tangible, her hand simply passed through Percy's cheek.

"You forgot about me!" She managed to pull of a strong yet disappointed look.

"I'm sorry." She remained glaring at him for a few minutes, before she harrumphed and stalked back to Leo's side. Percy glanced between the two with growing confusion. Then it seemed to dawn on him.

"How did you get off the island?" Nico was more concerned about how many girls Percy had fawning over him.

"A little help from Aphrodite." They brought the others up to speed.

"So now everyone's all caught up, maybe you should go and help your friend Annabelle." A voice rang out from behind the group, giving Nico seven types of heart attack. And people said that he was sneaky! They all whirled round, weapons unsheathed.

Bacchus stood before them, casually sipping from a can of diet pepsi.

"Wow, you Gods really don't understand the meaning of no contact." Leo remarked wittily. Bacchus stared at him dryly.

"What's wrong with Annabeth?" Percy demanded, and anger flared in Bacchus's red eyes.

"I have helped you before mortal, do not dare to order me around.

"Every time that you or _Mr D _(Nico observed with a spiteful twinge of amusement, as the God briefly grasped his head) has helped me out, it's come at a price." Percy refused to be cowed when it came to his friend's, especially Annabeth's, safety (it was one of the reasons Nico felt so strongly for him).

"My price is entertainment, and trust me, this quest will be entertaining enough for your debt to me to be paid." His eyes flicked to Leo who recoiled at the word "debt", and Calypso, who, although staring defiantly also seemed to wilt slightly.

"You will find Hannahbeth in this location." Bacchus flourished a map, and Frank stepped forward to take it before Percy could snatch it and be turned into a dolphin for his insolence.

"And for what it's worth, I don't want you to fail either. If Gaia rises, I won't get anymore diet pepsi." Bacchus disappeared, and the group observed the map.

Once they had decided on the destination, the group set off to save Annabeth.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo felt a shiver run through him as they headed towards Annabeth's location. Why did Baccus have to remind him of his debt to Nemesis? And why did Leo feel that Bacchus had looked at him and Calypso for a reason, and that reason would be nothing good.

They made it to the area in record time, and with a combination of powers that would probably have serious repercussions later on. It looked that they had arrived just in time, the floor was collapsing and a desperate, battered looking Annabeth was staring at them all in relief.

Leo felt a humungous grin creep across his face. Percy scrambled down, and enveloped Annabeth with his strong arms.

"It's okay, we're together" The said. Leo and the others (Calypso included) joined them and they exchanged tales about all that had happened. Annabeth seemed especially interested in how Calypso knew Percy, and Leo felt a tinge of sympathy. Then the floor began to vibrate even more violently.

"Zhang get me to the helm, quick! The Coach is up there alone." Frank nodded and flew Leo up to his deck. Leo raced to activate his grappling rope system, and the demigods below helped him start to secure the gigantic statue.

Jason flew Piper up, and the others lunged for the ladder. Leo couldn't let his focus slip, he had to get the Parthenos safely. Just as they attached the last line, the floor gave out completely. Frank and Jason dove over the side in an effort to reach the others. Calypso who had been helping him magically with the rope system also sprinted to the edge.

But only four demigods returned to the ship.

Nico looked shell shocked, and Hazel was sobbing hysterically. Leo's mind came to the obvious conclusion, and he almost threw up. Percy and Annabeth... had fallen. And it was all his fault.

The next couple of hours seemed to blur as Leo pulled the Argo out right before the cavern imploded. They had docked on a hill looking over the city, and a small group had headed off to try and claim their friends from the rubble.

They had returned demoralised, and the mood had plummeted. Even Calypso who had rightfully held a grudge against Percy was crying.

And it was all Leo's fault. It was always Leo's fault. New Rome, the Narcissus incident, and now this. He wondered if Nemesis was getting a good laugh out of his misery, and if Bacchus was chilling with her and laughing at the scrawny screw up who had doomed two of his friends to literal hell.

"It's my fault." He mumbled, misery grasping his vocal cords and guilt reducing his voice to a barely audible noise. Hazel shook emphatically as the others simply stared.

"No. No. This is _Gaia's _fault. It had nothing to do with you." Leo wished that he could believe his friends reassurance, but despite his many faults, Leo was not stupid. He had cracked that fortune cookie. He was a curse. A Diablo, just like his Aunt Rosa had always said. He was destined to bring ruin and misfortune to all of his friends. Seven was meant to be a lucky number, but his status as seventh wheel disproved that theory. He was the one that would end the world in fire.

"Leo, listen to me." Hazel gripped his hand and stared into his eyes. "I won't allow you to take the blame. I couldn't bear it, not after- after Sammy..." She trailed off, but Leo got the message loud and clear. His bisabeulo had spent a majority of his life blaming himself for Hazel's disappearance.

Maybe it wasn't just him, maybe his entire male line (discounting his father's side) were cursed to destroy their friend's lives. Nico shuffled up to him, eyes still devoid of life.

"They're not dead." Everyone's heads snapped up at this.

"How do you know?" At this moment, Leo would take a gut instinct. Anything that would quell the aching ball of pain and quilt that was firmly lodged in his stomach. A ball that had been wedged into his very soul since he was eight, and had grown infinitely since Leo had found out that he was a demigod. So many mistakes. So many bad decisions. They couldn't be dead. If they were, Leo would be a murderer of three, not counting any injuries that had been caused during his assault of New Rome.

Hazel and Nico exchanged a glance, and then Nico looked back at him.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was still in a state of shock. He couldn't help them. They had fallen right in front of him. He had heard Leo's confession of guilt, but he was too busy latching onto the tendrils of hope that hadn't yet been destroyed. He hadn't felt them die.

He snapped out of his introspection as his sister desperately tried to assuage Leo's guilt.

Nico's eyes took in Leo's dishevelled state, he practically emanated pain.

"They're not dead." He felt everyone's eyes on him, even as Leo's raked into his, a raw, naked pain lingering within them. He shared a knowing look with his sister, Leo was going to self destruct if he kept blaming himself for something that he had nothing to do with.

As Leo's eyes once again met his, and Nico was shaken by the sheer desolation contained within the glassy orbs.

Leo looked broken, grasping at any chance to pull himself out of spiralling desperation. And Nico was terrified that he Leo seemed to be loosing the battle.

"We can't be one hundred percent certain..." Hazel admitted.

All the demigods began clamouring, and though Nico did try to chime in, his eyes were still drawn to the dejected Latino, and the girl hovering by his friends shoulder. Calypso appeared to be in agony, unable to ease Leo's pain with a physical sign of affection.

Leo's P.O.V

Everyone else was drowned out by the sound of his plummeting heart. Oh, Gods, what if they really were dead? The conversation raged around him, as Leo felt a different emotion surge through him. Fury. Almost everyone that Leo cared about had been taken from him. Well no more. They were going to find Percy and Annabeth. They were going to close death's doors. They were going to face plant Gaia, and make her pay for waging war with the demigods. And after that, he was going to rescue Calypso. No one was dying on his watch. An oath to keep with a final breath. The line splintered into his mind, and he amended his statement. If there was going to be a sacrifice in this war, then it would be him. Everyone else would get their happy ending, no matter what the cost to Leo. He owed them that.

He felt his rage die down as he came to this conclusion. It was replaced by rigid determination.

"We'll do it." He broke into the conversation. And he meant it. No matter what he had to sacrifice of his own personal happiness, they would win this was. Starting with rescuing Annabeth and Percy.

* * *

So Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus, and both Leo and Nico blame themselves for it. And now Leo is determined to win no matter what. The plot is kicking of, big style.


	14. Chapter 14

I'm sorry if I have been neglecting the Nico/Leo friendship a little, I wanted to establish how I have altered the time line firmly so that it all makes sense later, and I know that Leo isn't Bi in the books, but please just let it go. Thank you to my brilliant beta Pseudorific, who not only has to beta for me but also has to listen to me fangirl in college. And thank you for anyone who faved or followed. Also, I have a lot of exams coming up, so please have patience if the updates aren't as quick as you are used to.

Enhisbeautiful : I'm sorry about the lack of friendship moments, there should be a lot more of them now that I have gotten the canon plotline entwined with my one.

Neon Wish : Thank you :)

ObsessedwReading : Thanks, and I feel sorry for both of them as well.

Mondmaedchen : I'm glad that you love it, and It's not that Nico doesn't like her, it's just that he gets a weird vibe from her. It will be explained.

Zaya of the Zanka Clan : Do you mean a yaoi? And if so, this story will not be a yaoi, but it's equel will be.

Disclaimer : The fun that I could have if it was mine.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

"Leo, you have to stop this." No reply.

"You need to rest." Mind numbing silence.

"Leo, get your scrawny Latino butt out from under that engine or I swear in the name of my father that I will reach down and pull you out, and I won't be gentle." Leo's pouting, grease stained face appeared sullenly.

"Nico, I'm sorry but I'm really busy right now."

"You've been busy for three days Leo. You haven't slept, you haven't ate and your sparkly girlfriend is moping on your deck." Leo's eyes turned hard, and Nico mentally sighed. He knew that Leo was still blaming himself for their friend's disappearance, but this was ridiculous. The other boy had been practically tearing the ship apart to make it "better", and Nico had had enough.

So far, no one had been able to get through to the boy (not even his new girlfriend) and Nico was fed up.

"Now you listen to me Valdez, and you listen closely. No one on this ship blames you. I don't blame you. So can you please stop working yourself to death over this? You need to sleep."

"Well you haven't exactly been sleeping either." Leo's words were biting, and Nico forced himself not to flinch. The stupid fire bug was acting out in anger, not at Nico but at himself. Nico had just placed himself in a position where Leo could vent. And boy did Leo need to let of some steam.

"And even if I wasn't working, I still wouldn't be able to sleep. She's always laughing at me. And it's better that I'm actually being productive, isn't it?" Nico shook his head.

"There's being constructive, Leo, and then there's this." Leo glared at him, and Nico noticed for the first time that Leo's eyes were red-rimmed, and this clashed horrifically with the dark bags under his eyes.

"Leo—"

"I'm fine! I don't need your pity. I've gone longer without sleep before, and even longer without food or drink so I'm fine. I'm not the one in Tartarus." Nico felt the air leave his body at the mention of that accursed place. Everyone on board had avoided the name like it was a plague, and now Leo was just blurting it out. His own grief almost made him act out rashly, but the smallest sniffle from Leo stopped him.

Leo's P.O.V

He knew that Nico had heard him sniff, and he hated it. He hated being weak when he needed to be strong. Percy and Annabeth needed him to be strong. Why couldn't Nemesis have sent him to Tartarus instead? He deserved it.

_Murderer. Diablo. Mistake. Danger._

The other boy knelt in front of him, and Leo turned his head sharply so that the other boy couldn't see the self-hatred etched onto his features.

_Screw up. Coward. Failure. Idiot._

He should just tell Nico to leave before he broke down or, worse, messed up Nico too. The other boy shouldn't have to put up with his idiocy; shouldn't have to waste his time with someone who was irrevocably screwed, who ruined pretty much everything.

_Freak. Outcast. Seventh wheel. Alone._

Leo's thoughts came to a grinding halt when he heard a suspiciously sniffle-like noise come from Nico. He looked up to see Nico staring at him with a shattered expression.

"Please Leo, I know that you're hurting, but we all are, and I need you. My crush has just fell into the same hell that I was forced through." Nico realised what he had just confessed to, the sin he had just admitted, and he was paralysed by horrified fear.

"Your crush... but you don't really like Annabeth do you? You never seem interested in her when she's around, you're always looking at... Percy." Nico's heart almost stopped beating, and tears sprung up in his eyes at the thought of his crush stuck in Tartarus. Leo had figured him out. Now Leo was going to hate him, and Nico would only have his sister. But what if Leo told his sister? She would be disgusted. Nico felt his palms go clammy, and his breathing quickened.

"Nico... do you like Percy?" The question was gentle, but voices could deceive you. Even so, Nico found himself wanting to tell Leo. Nico was exhausted. He had been through Hell (literally), his crush was now also experiencing hell along with his girlfriend, and he had carried a secret his entire life which would have gotten him murdered back in his time. He was not only loathed as a son of Hades, no he also had to be gay and stupidly in love with a very straight boy. Nico was bone deep tired of hiding. If Leo wouldn't accept him, then no one would. And Nico was willing to risk that outcome.

"Yes." He croaked out. It wasn't the brave confession that he had been looking for, or the defiant this-is-what-I-am-and-if-you-don't-like-it-tough that he had aimed for, but that one word could completely shatter one of the only sources of happiness that he possessed.

"Well that must suck." Leo's voice was sympathetic, and Nico risked looking at him to scan for insincerity. He found none.

"You don't hate me? You aren't disgusted?" Leo gaped.

"Dude, you really think that I would hate you for your sexual preference?" Nico nodded dumbly.

"Nico, that doesn't change anything. It doesn't bother me who you like, or if you prefer boys to girls. You're Greek, it's in your blood." Nico's cheeks flamed at such a blunt assessment of his situation.

"Nico, I'm bi." Nico stared at Leo uncomprehendingly, unaware of whether that was some new slang term for okay or fine. But that couldn't be it, his friend was blushing as well. Why would Leo blush over saying that he was okay?

"It means that I can be attracted to both boys and girls." Nico's eyes widened. Leo flirted with pretty much every girl in existence, and now he was saying that he liked both genders! Leo seemed to notice the hint of disbelief, as he hunkered down a little more, hands fiddling in his tool belt.

"I know that I usually only go after girls, and I've got a girlfriend right now, but I have had crushes on boys before. I dated a boy once when I was younger, just for a little while." Nico tried to absorb all the information that Leo had just dumped on him.

"Oh." He spluttered – very eloquent. Leo tittered nervously.

"Is this another requirement for our club?" Nico finally tried to dispel the silence. Although he wasn't exactly a comedian, Leo doubled over laughing at his pathetic attempt at a joke. Nico laughed a little himself, but then Leo's laughter abruptly ended.

Leo's P.O.V

Why in the name of Hades was he laughing? Annabeth and Percy were in Tartarus thanks to him, and they had to get to the Doors of Death. He didn't have time to screw around. But he couldn't abandon Nico. His fellow demigod had admitted that he needed him and had confessed a secret that had probably been cutting him up for years.

He slumped back against the engine and Nico, sensing this darker mood, shuffled to sit beside him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Leo wiping his face surreptitiously every now and again to remove the incriminating evidence of his feelings.

"Leo..." The voice was tentative, and Leo forced himself to look at Nico. The son of Hades looked incredibly young, tears flowing down his face, eyes frightened and pained. And Leo couldn't hold it together when Nico hesitantly raised his arms.

He fell into the other boy's embrace, both sobbing. They wept and trembled, clutching at each other like they were an anchor in a fell storm. Their masks had been discarded in the face of the agony that resided within the young demigods.

And they were both so young, Leo realised as he shed tears of anger, pain and frustration. All of the demigods were. They were too young to go to war. Too young to fight monsters. Too young to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Too young to go to Tartarus.

In that moment, Leo felt himself crying for all that was unfair in life. Everything that Nico went through. Percy and Annabeth falling. His own pitiful life. He wondered why it was them. What mystical draw had they lost to be condemned to this fate? Why was he cursed?

Nico was crying equally hard, and he wrapped his arms more securely around the skinny waist of his friend.

The outcasts mourning their fate.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico felt hot, salty tears sliding down his face at an alarming rate, and he knew that Leo's sobs matched his in intensity as his shoulder was also soaked where Leo had buried his head. Nico idly wondered if they were lamenting the same things.

The fates who had dealt them terrible cards. Their fathers who had never exactly been attentive. Themselves for all their flaws. Nico felt as if they were, the grief resonating between the two.

Though Nico's tears were mostly shed out of rage and sadness, a rare few were created out of relief. Leo hadn't abandoned him. He wasn't disgusted. They were in this together.

Eventually, the crying session tailed of, and the boys were left breathless and tired. Also, a certain weight had been lifted from the atmosphere. Neither boy was anywhere near healed, but they had at least released some of their bottled up feelings.

Nico shifted so that he was sitting beside Leo, though their arms remained entwined. He was sleepy, and if the glassy look in Leo's eyes said anything, the tanned boy was as well. But he was too comfortable to move to his room...

His contemplation over whether he should just fall asleep here or go to his bedroom was ended when a warm weight landed on his shoulders.

Soft snuffles came out of Leo's mouth as he peacefully slept, his head lying serenely on Nico's shoulder. Nico didn't have the heart to move him, so he nestled into the comforting arms of his friend.

* * *

Woot, Nico has confessed his crush on Percy and his friendship with Leo is stronger than ever. I'll see you all next time.


	15. Chapter 15

And on we go with our cute friendship fluff mixed with our angst :) Thanks for any faves and follows and to my wonderful beta Pseudorific.

BookLover : Thank you.

Enhisbeautiful : I'm glad that you like it, and I love their relationship as well.

WhiteWinterStar : Thanks, I aimed to combine both of those elements and I'm happy that it worked.

Neon Wish : Thanks :)

Mondmaedchen : Yay, I'm glad you love it.

HowlingRain : Thanks, I hope that it doesn't disappoint.

ObsessedwReading : With a stronger relationship, they are better prepared to face what's coming.

Disclaimer : The things I could do if I owned Percy Jackson...

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo awoke to find that he was still in the engine room, an exhausted son of Hades snuggled into his side. Leo flushed as he realised that his embarrassing habit had kicked in while he was sleeping, his arms were tightly wrapped around his friend.

The sound of snickering snapped him into a state of full awareness, and he sat up swiftly, dislodging Nico. The pale boy fell on the floor and awoke with an oomph.

Piper, Hazel and Calypso were staring down at them. Piper had a demented grin, Calypso a raised eyebrow and Hazel was fanning herself frantically.

"Did you have to let me hit the floor?" Nico murmured grumpily, looking for all intents and purposes, like a sleepy toddler as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Revenge for that time in the game room." Leo stared blearily at the girls.

"What's up?" Piper rolled her eyes at Leo's carefree attitude.

"You guys are late for breakfast." Calypso gave Leo a loving smile, and his insides tingled.

"Come on Nico, we can't leave the ladies waiting." He stood up and stretched, making sure that he heard the satisfying pop, before reaching down to help Nico up. They brushed themselves off and followed the girls to the dining room. He made sure to give Nico a cheeky look as they entered, tapping out "I thought you were more of a Snow White then a Sleeping Beauty". When Nico gave him a cold look, Leo grinned. As he sat down next to Calypso (who obviously couldn't eat, but turned up to share breakfast anyway), opposite Nico, he truly felt like they could do this. They could reach the doors of Death. They could rescue their friends.

Frank and Jason gave them weird looks. They informed them that Coach Hedge was up top as he knew the demigods needed a good meal together. Of course, the coach had put in the slightly less eloquent manner of "I need to kick some monster butt or I'm going to start kicking your butts." The fonder message had been implied.

Leo tucked in heartily, feeling a little better after his talk with Nico last night. He still felt as if his world had imploded due to him opening that stupid fortune cookie, but he also knew that he couldn't show that. Nico had proven a formidable enemy when it came to seeing through Leo's barriers, so Leo would have to build them to be stronger then before, and invisible to even Nico's eyes.

They finished breakfast swiftly and Leo rose from the table.

"I'll take over from the Coach." He bounded out of the door, putting as much energy into his steps as he could. He was unaware of the suspicious looks that were exchanged behind him. He relieved the Coach who muttered something about iris messaging Mellie before departing. Leo lazily wandered over to his mechanical buddy, still in disbelief over his new status as a completely sentient being. He straddled the front of the Argo, reaching down to place his hand lovingly on Festus' head.

"I'm back." He murmured, and Festus creaked happily over the return of his friend.

"Leo." Calypso's voice rang out unexpectedly, and Leo yelped, tumbling over the side.

Luckily, he snagged Festus' jaw with his hand and swung for a moment or two, though he unfortunately impaled his hand on some of Festus' teeth.

He reached around with his other hand, getting a firm grip on the back of Festus' neck before he slowly slid his hand off of the teeth and wrenching himself upwards. He glanced upwards. Nico's pasty face and his girlfriend's shimmery one peered down at him.

Leo smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring before he hauled himself up to the railing of the boat, leaving a trail of bloody handprints. Both of the two on deck reached down to help him, but Calypso sadly drew her hand back when she remembered that she wasn't tangible. Leo instead grasped Nico's hand, and the son of Hades yanked him back on board. Leo had stupidly grabbed him with his bleeding hand, and a combination of blood and pain almost had him spiralling towards the dark waters. And as the boat was currently flying, that wasn't a happy prospect.

Nico stared at his own hand, now slick with Leo's blood. His eyes then travelled to Leo's palm.

"I'm so sorry." Calypso teared up as she stared at the wound. Leo was thankful that it hadn't been his prominent hand, even though ambrosia would heal this up really quickly, Leo still didn't want to attempt work if his dominant hand was injured.

"It's not that bad." He waved his hand, to prove that he was fine, and that really wasn't the best idea as blood splattered the deck in a horror scene manner.

"Looks like we're going back to the infirmary." Nico sighed. Leo's blood trailed from both of their fingers.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico and Leo headed off towards the sick bay, leaving Calypso to guard the ship as she wouldn't be able to help Leo in the infirmary, whereas her spells could be used in defence of the ship.

As they walked in, they passed Jason who stared wide-eyed at Leo's holey hand.

"Jay, do me a favour and was the blood from the deck and the outside of the ship please. Calypso will show you where it is." Leo used his injured hand to wave Jason along, as if to emphasize that it was okay.

"What happened?" Jason looked between the two anxiously.

"When falling off the ship, don't try to grab Festus. His teeth are sharp." Leo grinned even more at Jason's befuddlement, and Nico felt the beginnings of a headache.

"Calypso startled him and he fell off the ship, and he had to put his hand in Festus' jaw to save himself." Nico explained before ushering Leo onwards.

"I want that wood sparkling." Leo yelled over Nico's shoulder to Jason. Nico continued steering him towards the sick bay.

They followed the drill when they got there, Leo sitting on the bed as patiently as he could manage whilst Nico patched him up.

"I think that we need an infirmary to ourselves, we seem to be in here too often." Nico growled.

"Don't forget Jason, he gets more concussions than I get injuries." Leo grinned impishly at him.

"It really is a surprise that he has any brain cells left." Leo laughed, and Nico felt his own lips tugged into a smile as they exited the infirmary.

"So, what do you want to do now, Leo?" Leo appeared to ponder Nico's question.

"You know, the mood is really depressing on board right now, how about some pranks to lighten the mood?" Nico considered the other boy warily.

"Just what sort of prank are you suggesting here?" Nico wouldn't normally stoop to pranking level - he preferred to leave that nonsense up to the Stolls- but the practically tangible air of misery that lingered around the ship needed to be dispersed and a small, childish part of Nico wanted to pull a prank with Leo like they were normal kids.

"You pretend to hear my thoughts." Leo looked so proud of himself, but Nico couldn't refrain from pointing out the glaringly obvious problem with this idea.

"But that's impossible to pull off." Leo scoffed.

"You dare to doubt the great Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of the Argo II?"

"No I dare to question my friend, Leo Valdez the boy who seems incapable of remaining uninjured."

"Ouch, I'd say that was a burn, but I'm literally incapable of being burnt. And we can just use orse code to communicate." Nico could see quite a few errors of judgement here, the plan depended on certain questions being asked in certain ways, but the light had returned to Leo's eyes (albeit a bit dimmer then usual), and Nico couldn't bare to extinguish that flicker of the usual happy Leo.

"Fine." Leo legitimately squealed, and Nico shook his head fondly as he was yanked to the dining room where the other demigods had remained comparing battle strategies for when they reached the Doors.

"Wait, shouldn't we tell calypso first, we can't just leave her up there on guard duty." Nico felt a flash of irritation at the thought of their scheme (and just how had Leo roped into this so easily again?) though he nodded, and they changed their course to the deck.

Calypso smiled radiantly as they approached.

"Is your hand okay?" She inquired sweetly, and Leo smirked.

"Good as new." They joined Calypso at the helm.

"Calypso, would you mind watching over the ship for a little longer?" Leo wheedled. Calypso gave him a no nonsense look, hands on hips and everything. Nico almost laughed at how Leo seemed a bit intimidated by this.

"Why?" She asked frankly.

"Because we want to pull of a sweet prank to lift everyone's spirits." Calypso's eyes flickered between Leo and Nico, and she apparently noticed the same sparkle in Leo's eyes that Nico had as she nodded her assent slowly.

"Fine. I wish that I could see their reactions though." Leo's grin got wider.

"I'll get Buford to record it. Thanks Sunshine!" Leo once again grabbed Nico's sleeve and pulled him away as Calypso spluttered that she was "nobody's Sunshine".

Leo whistled as they entered the corridor next to the dining area, and Buford trundled up to them.

"Okay Buford, your mission if you choose to accept it, is to record everything this awesome prank." Buford chirped happily, and Nico again found himself marvelling at the apparent sentience of the table.

"Right, when they ask me a question, I'll tap my answer onto my leg and you have to relay it as if you heard me say it in my mind." If it was anyone but Leo, Nico would have questioned whether or not the others would inquire about the tapping, but as it was Leo, Nico was content with the fact that the others were aware of Leo being unable to keep his hands still.

And then it was show time.

"Guys, I think that Nico can read my mind!" Leo shoved the door open and burst into the room. Startled looks were thrown his way, and Nico noticed more than one hand grazing the hilt of a weapon.

"What?" Jason was the first to recover from the surprise of Leo the hyperactive Latino flinging himself through the door (and Jason had lots of experience with recovering from a shock, his head was well acquainted with a brick). Nico slouched in after Leo.

"We think that I can read his mind." He muttered, in a disinterested tone.

"But that's not... you can't... that's not a Hades power!" Poor Hazel seemed completely befuddled as Piper gazed at them suspiciously.

"Prove it." She demanded. Leo gave Nico a helpless look, and Nico had to admire the other boy's acting skill.

"How." He seemed to implore. Nico was fully aware of Buford standing at and angle to get the best shot of the group.

"Easy." Piper declared, and she tugged Leo to the other side of the room. Jason followed her, Frank and Hazel stayed near Nico and Buford subtly altered his position so that he could observe all of the room's occupants.

"We'll ask Leo a question over here, quietly, and then you have to repeat Leo's answer." She yelled over, and both boy's nodded in agreement, Leo's hands tapping erratically on the table, loud enough for even Nico to hear.

Nico stood calmly, as Frank scrutinised him, clearly searching for signs of deception. Then, Leo's fingers tapped out a word.

"Tacos." Nico spoke clearly, relishing the look of shock on Jason, Hazel and Piper's faces. But Frank still looked unconvinced, and Nico listened attentively for the next message. The next word was a little jumble, but Nico could still deduce the meaning.

"Hephaestus." Nico took care to enunciate each syllable properly, and watched as the four who weren't in on the joke stared in bewilderment. Nico smiled internally as the rhythmic tapping coalesced into another word.

"All da ladies luv Leo." Nico pronounced it as it sounded, and was rewarded with more gasps from the others and a sneaky thumbs up from Leo. This went on for a few minutes, before Piper clearly became annoyed. They joined together in the middle of the room.

"Answer honestly, did you plan these answers before you entered the room?" Nico felt Piper's charmspeak work through him, and the desire to be honest compelled him to speak up.

"No." Nico grinned again internally. Piper had asked the wrong question. He watched as everyone's jaws dropped.

"He seriously had no idea of what you were going to say before you said?" Nico could see the tiny devilish glint in Leo's eyes as he too was forced to speak honestly.

"Nope." He popped the "p", and a great din erupted around him. As the four non-pranksters debated the consequences of this, Leo motioned for him to start backing towards the door.

Leo's P.O.V

He and Nico made their way stealthily to the door, and Buford followed, though his hidden camera was still trained onto the others. Leo was certain that this would make a great hologram viewing experience once the prank was completed.

"Guys!" He yelled, effectively cutting of the conversation as he demigods turned to look at him and Nico, clearly taking in their new position by the door. Leo tapped out onto his knee "as soon as I have finished speaking, fling open the door and run for your life". He knew that Nico had received his message when the son of Hades knocked their hands together gently.

"I taught Nico morse code." Nico followed through with his advice, sprinting into the corridor. Leo was quick to follow, but Buford remained momentarily to record the reactions of anger from the others. It clearly took a few minutes for the meaning behind Leo's statement to kick in, but when it did, the howls of anger rang throughout the ship, and filling Leo with the warm, satisfactory glow of a well done prank. Buford caught up to the retreating boys, and Leo patted his head lovingly to signal that he could stop recording.

* * *

Yay, the masters of pranks Leo and Nico have been born. The others better watch out, because the boys need a way to work of their depression, and this way looks fun ;) See you next time.


	16. Chapter 16

So Leo and Nico have pranked the others and now the plot must truly kick in again. Once again, some of the scenes from the book have been altered in this chapter to fit my story. Thanks for any faves/follows and to my awesome beta Pseudorific.

HowlingRain : Thank you, and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Enhisbeautiful : Thank you :)

Neon Wish : Thanks.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you, I hoped that the prank would turn out to be funny.

WhiteWinterStar : Hehe, your wish is my command. And yep, her ghostliness will come in handy.

ColorsAndWords : Thank you.

2pMadelineWilliams : Thanks, and I'll try :)

Disclaimer : Nope, still not mine.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo was still cackling over the success of the prank as he and Nico hid behind the Athena Parthenos in the stables. They were planning to wait a few more minutes before they went to join Calypso on deck – they wanted the murderous rage to subside before they had to go past their friends again. Even Nico hadn't been able to resist sniggering when Buford had replayed the reactions to their prank.

Piper had looked furious, Jason long suffering, Frank enraged and Hazel just looked bewildered. She had evidently taken longer than the others to catch on to what had just occurred as, moments later, she face palmed. And as she was from a time were face palming wasn't a thing, it showed just how much of a bad influence the other demigods were.

"Do you think that it's safe to go out now?" Nico whispered furtively.

Leo turned to nod, and then promptly almost peed his pants. Standing just above Nico was Jason, and he did not look impressed. Leo swiftly tapped out "Jason behind you." Nico smirked deviously, and slid his hand over so that their hands were connected and then the world went dark, and Leo felt his stomach drop. They landed sprawled on the deck next to Calypso, with Nico lying sideways over Leo's hips. The paler boy sprung up almost instantly, but Leo remained on the floor for a moment, trying to get his bearings and to quell his nausea before he made another mess for Jason to clean off of his deck.

"Damn, was that shadow travel?" Nico nodded sympathetically, hauling Leo up as Calypso gazed on in confusion.

"What's going on?" Calypso moved closer, and Leo sent her a grin.

"We just escaped from the clutches of an enraged Roman." Calypso's confusion turned to concern.

"Were you fighting someone?" Nico snorted.

"No, we just didn't want to be caught by Jason." Calypso smirked, and Leo felt a tingle at just how hot Calypso looked when she was being devious.

"You better show me their reactions." Leo put his hand in his tool belt and pressed the button on the remote that he had designed specifically to summon Buford.

"Don't worry sunshine, I promised that you would be able to watch if you cooperated with our scheme." Buford trotted up on deck, and Leo practically danced towards his creation. He felt a thrill of excitement. They were currently sailing past a mountain range, and Leo was hoping for smooth sailing. He also couldn't wait to show Calypso the video.

At the end of the video, all three of them were doubled over, laughing madly.

"Their faces!" Calypso blurted out, and they all practically keeled over with their outrageous chuckling. And then Leo felt a dark aura from behind the group.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico gulped as he, Leo and Calypso swiveled around to face a furious group of their friends.

Piper stood in front, hands on hips.

"Leo Valdez, that was probably one of the stupidest ideas that you've ever had! We honestly thought that Nico could read your mind, and we were trying to think of how that would factor in to our quest. What would have happened if a monster had attacked then, and we all assumed that you and Nico could communicate telepathically? We would have all been in danger!" Nico was shocked as Piper viciously berated Leo. The Latino boy had only been trying to dispel the awkward tension that had built up with Perc— two of the teams most pivotal members not being on board. He didn't deserve to be ripped into like this.

Leo's pose turned dejected as the other demigods also looked on angrily (though Nico noticed that Hazel was looking worriedly between her boyfriend and Leo). Nico's fists clenched and, surprisingly, he and Calypso stepped forwards in sync, putting the distraught mechanic behind them protectively.

"Leo just wanted to cheer everyone up!" Calypso exclaimed angrily, and Nico nodded.

"And I went along with the plan so I'm just as to blame as he is." Nico snarled.

"But the idea was probably his..." Jason's tone was placating, but his words further incensed Nico, who felt the shadows start bending around him as his anger rose. Why did almost everyone on this ship underappreciate the scrawny mechanic's attempts to lighten the mood? Sure, Nico had found them annoying in the past, but he was beginning to understand that Leo used humour to try and positively influence situations.

"I just wanted to make everyone laugh. I'm sorry." Leo's voice was subdued, and Nico could practically see the progress he had made in cheering up the other boy being washed away.

"I'm going to go work on the engine." Leo tried to move past Nico, but Nico latched onto his wrist.

"Me, you and Calypso can stay on deck, keeping an eye out for monster attacks." Leo whirled on him, but evidently the pyro elf noticed the subtle look in Nico's eyes that pleaded with him to not retreat into his shell. Nico tapped on Leo's wrist gently with his middle finger. "I need you, remember?" Leo nodded in acquiesce, and he and Calypso moved away from the group.

Nico was left to glare at the others, who were beginning to look sheepish.

"Do you idiots know how close I am to punching you all?" Nico intensified his glare, though Hazel was exempt. After all, Nico was pretty certain that his sister had only tagged along to stop things escalating between Leo and Frank as they often did between the two who clashed on a daily basis.

"Now, you are all going to go downstairs until you are ready to apologise to Leo, while me and Calypso will work on undoing the damage that you have just caused." Nico realised that he had been relatively in sync with Calypso during this endeavour: times of adversity tended to bring people together, and they both wanted to keep Leo safe. Nico had also observed how Leo had seemed especially distressed at the words "we would have all been in danger", and he knew that Leo's nightmare from the other day and his current guilt had combined, and that those words had prodded that particular minefield.

Frank returned Nico's glare.

"You don't have any right to order us around." Nico recognised that Frank was a son of Mars, and that probably meant that he disliked orders coming from a Greek (his girlfriend's brother specifically) but he was also too annoyed to care.

"I have every right after you guys don't even realise that Leo was trying to bring back the cohesion that we had recently gained. Face it, the team is a mess. Leo thought that a prank could brighten the atmosphere. And then you barge up here and accuse him of sabotaging the quest, knowing full well that Leo still feels guilty over everything that's happened. Now you listen to me, and you listen to me closely. You are going to leave Leo alone until you have a good apology ready, and then you will ask him for forgiveness, because Leo doesn't need you bringing up this schist." The demigods stared at him, wide eyed, and Nico felt a little embarrassed as that was probably the most that he had spoken whilst onboard the Argo. The group mutely shuffled off of the deck, and Nico took that as a sign of agreement.

He ambled over to the newest couple and tried to shake off the anger that remained in his system. He stood back for a moment, casually observing his friend's interaction with Calypso. The Latino's eyes sparkled, and his cheeks were flushed as he chuckled at something that Calypso had said. Obviously the girl had managed to make Leo happy again, and Nico felt grateful to her, even as a small part of him felt sad. Now he was the only single person on the Argo – heck, even the Coach had a relationship.

Nico also felt a tiny flicker of jealousy. Lately, he and Leo had been hanging out quite a bit, and Nico was - reluctantly- afraid that Leo was going to ditch him now that he had a girlfriend.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo forced a laugh at Calypso's joke, but his heart still hurt from the harsh words that Piper had spewed at him. Lately it seemed that Leo really did screw up everything. He had thought that the prank would be quite funny, and that after the initial shock, the others would find it at least mildly entertaining. But no, idiot Valdez had struck again, and now the team was going to be even more dysfunctional.

"Way to go, Valdez." He thought furiously. Then he caught Nico out of the corner of his eye, standing away from Leo and Calypso.

"I know that my stunningly good looks take some time to digest, but really, the view's better up close." Nico scowled and mooched forwards, slouching next to the couple. Despite still feeling hurt from before, Leo was still warmed to be sitting in between Calypso and Nico. At least two people that he cared about didn't despise him and were still safely near him, though maybe being near him wasn't the safest thing. Maybe Calypso had been better off on her island where she didn't have to deal with his near constant idiocy, and maybe Nico was better off not being anywhere near him as his relationship with everyone else onboard was probably going to be quite strained. Leo knew that Nico had lectured the others, and although Leo was grateful, he was also saddened as Nico had probably just isolated himself from the crew to stick up for someone who was completely undeserving of his faith.

Silence surrounded him, and Leo's head snapped up as he felt eyes boring into his head. Nico and Calypso were both observing him, anxiety etched onto their features.

Calypso's spectral hand rested gently over his, and even though Leo couldn't actually touch his girlfriend, the gesture still comforted him. Nico also leant in a little more so that their shoulders were brushing.

"You're right." Calypso whispered into his ear.

"About what?"

"The view is better up close." Leo couldn't help snickering at Calypso's statement, and he could feel Nico's shoulders vibrate with mirth and Calypso's shoulders also looked to be shaking with suppressed amusement.

"Thanks darling." Leo drawled, snuggling into Nico slightly whilst still keeping close to Calypso. He was a hugger and as he couldn't hug Calypso at the moment, Nico would just have to deal with it.

They remained like that until lunch time. Nico went to retrieve some food so Leo was left with Calypso alone on deck.

His girlfriend turned towards him with a soft smile.

"It's so nice to see the world beyond my island for the first time in years." The beautiful girl settled in closer, so that they at least appeared to be touching.

"Once this quest is over, I'll show you the world properly." Calypso's gaze turned unreadable, and Leo panicked, wondering if such a long term declaration was okay to make.

"I'd like that." Calypso's reply was timid, but Leo felt a startling amount of relief that he hadn't screwed something else up. They sat in silence for a moment or two, before Calypso leaned over and hovered her lips over Leo's in a way that would be a kiss if she was tangible.

"Thank you." She ghosted against his mouth.

"Why? You aren't completely off the island yet." Calypso sat back next to him.

"This is further than any demigods gotten me before." She declared, just as Nico returned with the food. He placed the snacks down on the deck and then took his place next to Leo. Then the other demigods came up top.

* * *

Sorry if this is kind of short, I am in the thick of my exams right now, four down and three to go. Hopefully once they're over I can get back to updating more regularly.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone, I'm really sorry. I know that I said last chapter that I'd try and fix my update schedule but a lot of messed up stuff has been happening lately and I haven't really been able to write as much as I had hoped to. Also, some scenes of the book will be used again, however I will change them both to fit with my story and so that I'm not just telling you the same story.

WhiteWinterStar : I love having them all be close and having Nico stick up for Leo (it seems to be a recurrent theme in this story).

Mondmaedchen : That's mean of your sister, but thanks for the review anyway.

HowlingRain : Thanks, and I hope it's worth the wait.

QueenofLothlorien : No, Leo didn't. The others were being mean, and Nico was only to happy to put them in their place :) And thank you, I hope that your mocks went well.

Alvin6299 : Don't worry, I won't leave this story without a proper ending, but that's quite a way to go.

ObsessedwReading : Thanks :)

Disclaimer : I do happen to own a signed copy of BoO thanks to my awesome sister. However, I don't actually own HoO.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo froze slightly as his friends came to a stop in front of him. Even if he knew that he had deserved at least a little bit of telling of from his friends for the prank that he had pulled, he still felt wary when faced with the group who were probably still irate. Leo hadn't expected them to completely flip on him as they did. He was also a little worried that Nico and Calypso would argue with the others again. He wasn't worth it, and he didn't want Nico and Calypso being isolated due to his stupidity.

"Leo.." Jason trailed of in an almost helpless way, and Leo felt a dark tinge of amusement at how his friend didn't even know how to apologise. After all, Leo was usually the one saying sorry. It was weird how he had just gotten used to not expecting the others to apologise whenever they upset him. It was often the other way around.

"We're sorry Leo. **I'm **sorry." Piper looked genuinely upset, but Leo still smarted from the words that she had spewed at him previously. And he knew deep down that it was his own stupid fault anyway.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have came up with such a moronic plan in the first place." Nico actually hissed, and Leo turned to him in shock.

"Your plan was brilliant. It was clever and funny, and you deserve a proper apology from these jerks." Leo blushed as Nico complimented his plan, but then his face turned sad as his other friends stared at him ashamedly.

"We've all been so tense lately, and I guess that we just used your prank as an excuse to vent. We're all really sorry Leo." Hazel, ever the peacekeeper, spoke up sadly. Leo sighed.

"Look, it's fine. Lets just forget about it." They all looked repentant and, after a chorus apologies, they all joined the trio in sitting on the deck.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Frank lean towards Nico, but he stopped when Nico mouthed later to the older boy. Leo was desperate to know what was going on there, but he decided that it probably wasn't worth dragging up now. It wasn't worth disrupting the current sense of peace (especially with how fragile that temporary sense of peace was).

The rest of the day continued in a similar manner, and although their were some remnants of awkwardness from the prank incident, everything remained pretty calm. Leo even felt slightly more cheerful as he said goodnight to Nico. The other boy appeared a little preoccupied, and Leo wondered if it had anything to do with Frank.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico bid Leo goodnight and slowly made his way towards his bedroom. Even though Leo had forgiven the others, Nico still felt a lingering sense of resentment. Then he noticed Frank leaning against his door, shuffling his feet nervously.

"Zhang." Nico commented, his vice neutral. Frank glanced at him, guilt written all over his face and exuding from his posture.

"I'm sorry for arguing with you. You had every right to order us around as we were being idiots." Nico eyed the big guy impassively, before sighing.

"Whatever." He muttered, but as he attempted to make his way into his room, Frank remained in front of the door.

"What's wrong?" Nico inquired, the look on Frank's face unsettling him a bit. The bigger boy apparently snapped out of whatever daze he was in, and he glanced at Nico apologetically.

"Sorry." The older demigod muttered before shuffling off. Nico was admittedly a little concerned about the shape shifting demigod, but he also knew better then anyone else on this ship (apart from Leo) that people will only talk when their reday, and Nico doubted that Frank would ever be ready to confide anything in Nico.

Nico decided that it was time to commune with the dead and to gain their insight on the quest.

Nico slept restlessly that night.

He awoke to someone banging on his door. As a demigod, his natural reaction was to leap out of bed and to grab his sword before stumbling over to the door, flinging it open and ducking the fist of an overenthusiastic Latino who was currently bouncing up and down in the hall.

"Come see what the others have done to make up for yesterday." Leo enthused, and Nico found himself being dragged down the hall, still in his pyjamas (thankfully with a shirt) and still clutching his sword. He observed that Leo was also not properly dressed, though his tool belt was resting on his hips. However, unlike him, Leo had foregone a shirt and Nico tried to avoid checking out his best friend. The boy had muscles, and his tanned skin was covered in tiny scars that Nico assumed where from forge accidents.

Leo seemed to notice Nico looking at his shirtless chest, but he fortunately didn't read into the situation as he simply flashed Nico a charming grin.

"They woke me up the same way I woke you up and I didn't have a chance to grab a shirt when they dragged me of to see the surprise. I kind of forgot to go get one when they told me to fetch you." Nico rolled his eyes. Then they reached the deck.

Nico's breath hitched at the sight. The deck had a gigantic picnic spread across it, and the others (including Coach Hedge) were comfortably sitting on picnic blankets. Even Calypso was sitting on the deck. Despite the uneasy feelings that had been plaguing him since he talked with the dead, he still felt a childish sense of happiness rise within him.

"Wow." He whispered as Leo dragged him over to the others.

"It's not a midnight picnic, but it will do." Leo looked genuinely delighted at the prospect of sharing a picnic, and Nico felt any lingering knot of anger reside at the truly contrite looks that they were getting.

"Well now that we're all here, lets dig in." Jason announced.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo was overjoyed at his friends' thoughtfulness. It made him feel a bit guilty though. His friends had improved the mood with such a nice gesture whereas he had tried to improve it with a prank.

As if sensing Leo's mood, Nico leaned over.

"The prank cheered me up." He murmured, but Calypso evidently overheard as she nodded.

"The reactions were hilarious." This time, Piper was the one to overhear the conversation. Her expression became unreadable, and Leo feared a repeat of earlier.

"I bet that it was great to watch." She stated thoughtfully, and Leo felt the stirrings of another idea. Hopefully this one wouldn't turn out as badly as the other.

"You can all watch you reactions if you want." He declared, and everyone turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Hazel questioned sweetly.

"If you want to see each others reactions to the prank, I recorded them for Calypso." Everything went silent for a moment, and Leo's spirits fell.

"Okay." Jason eventually spoke up, and Leo started.

"Seriously?" Leo felt obliged to ask, and Jason smiled.

"I bet we look hilarious." Frank chimed in, and Leo felt a smirk return to his face. He summoned Buford and they all re-watched the prank. At the end, everyone snickered, and Leo was overwhelmed with happiness as they all congratulated Leo and Nico for their flawless prank.

Of course, the Fates couldn't let Leo have a moment with his friends and his girlfriend as a boulder crashed into the side of the ship, tilting it horrifically.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico saw the boulder and managed to brace himself before the ship lurched to one side. Leo scrambled up after falling to the deck, and Hazel sprinted to the edge of the ship.

"What's happening?" She gasped, and Nico motioned wordlessly to the ourae who were currently lobbing gigantic chunks of rock at the ship. Nico was surprised that no one had been hurt. Leo was racing all over the deck, trying to keep the ship safe, and from what Nico could tell, Calypso was trying to help keep the boulders from obliterating the ship with her magic. The blankets and leftover food were forgotten, and Coach Hedge also hurtled to the edge, hurling Greek abuse at the monsters.

Frank lunged after Hazel, before leaping up into the air and transforming into a giant bird. As the ship rocked ferociously, Jason was thrown of balance and whacked his head on the deck. He was knocked out cold almost instantly. Piper hauled him up, calling out that it was probably best if she took him to the sick bay. The wound shouldn't be severe, but they both would probably be out of commission for this fight.

Leo had taken control of the wheel, and Nico shouted for him to veer left as he noticed a boulder flying towards them.

"Hah!" Leo shouted, as the giants were barraged by Greek fire. Nico winced, the monsters looked more annoyed than injured.

"Leo, get us out of here!" Nico yelled out, as he watched Leo's brow furrow with utmost concentration as he expertly guided the wheel. The ship turned hard to port, and Nico ran to the edge and clung to his sister so that they both remained on the ship safely. Frank started an aerial assault on the monsters, but as it looked to be doing nothing, he flew back and diverted his efforts into helping to keep the ship intact.

Gradually, they drew away from the mountains, and Nico made his way cautiously over to the railing of the ship to see where they were. The beautiful Italian countryside stretched out below him, and Nico felt nostalgic as he remembered his youth, and playing with his sister in fields such as these. The memories were vague and broken, but even the smallest memory of Bianca was worth holding on to. He feared that his memories would never fully return, but at least he had some small recollection of his past.

He turned around to observe the damage to the deck. Luckily, it was minimal, but a frown still marred the features of his Latino friend.

"Well, that was sucktastic." Leo complained to Calypso, who looked incredibly nervous. Nico wondered if she knew what she had signed up for when agreeing to help out this quest. Hazel strode forwards, though she had a slight look of nostalgia. Her boyfriend followed her over the deck, and Nico sighed before trailing after them. Nico really hoped that Hazel wasn't thinking of her past, it would only bring grief to her, Frank and Leo.

They discussed why the monsters had attacked them, and then they attempted to choose a new course. Leo was back to looking angry and driven, and Nico prayed that he wouldn't go back to how he was acting before they had talked in the engine room.

Many suggestions were shot down, Nico couldn't shadow travel the entire ship, Leo seemed reluctant to try and create some form of camouflage, and even Calypso acknowledged that although her magic could provide some form of transport (Aphrodite had apparently been able to gift her with more magic, obviously she had called in some favours) it wouldn't be strong enough to carry the entire ship.

And then the horse had appeared, and his sister had been whisked off into the countryside.

* * *

Another short chapter, but I'm trying to establish a storyline that still contains the important elements form the book but is also different from the original. Please bear with me.


	18. Chapter 18

And here is the latest chapter of The skull and the flame. I'm really sorry that its late, I've been going through a lot of stress lately. I will try and even out my schedule more, and I'll have broken up from college in a few weeks so hopefully I'll be able to write even more. Thank you for all of the faves and follows and as always, to my awesome beta Chromatophobe (different account) who is actually writing his own Nico story so feel free to check that out.

Mondmaedchen : Ah, at least you got it back in the end :)

Cupcake Gal : Yes it is, adorable awesomeness. I'm glad that you found that funny as well. Oh, and this story is just going to be bromance though the sequel will be a yaoi.

WhiteWinterStar : Thank you and yep, apologies can be hella awkward.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you :)

HowlingRain : Picnics are a great way to reconcile. And I'm happy that you're excited for what comes next.

Zoethezany III : Wow, thank you for all your reviews, I really appreciate the support that you've given both of my stories and I'm glad that you are enjoying this one as well :)

Disclaimer : No matter how much I seem to beg, no one will sell me the rights to Percy Jackson. Go figure.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo growled in frustration. His beautiful ship was damaged once again, and now Hazel was telling him that he had to change his course so that they could go find some Bolognese dwarves or something.

This was, of course, after Hazel had almost collapsed and he had helped Nico to carry her across the deck.

Frank had instantly rushed over to support his girlfriend and Leo couldn't squash the selfish pit of envy that cried out that he wasn't able to touch his girlfriend at all.

And they were now following the orders of yet another goddess. Leo was sick of all of these divine beings screwing with their lives.

Nico was also acting weirdly, and Leo was pretty certain that the younger demigod was hiding something from him. All of these factors made for a grumpy Leo. Then again, that seemed to be his default setting ever since Perc— well it didn't matter when he began acting like a grump, but Leo knew that his behaviour was out of character and that it probably worried his friends.

He looked into the piece of metal that he was currently cutting to size and plastered a grin onto his face.

It appeared too fake, too unnatural, and Leo let it drop with a sigh of frustration.

"Leo." Leo dropped the metal with a resounding clang, and spun on his heel to face Nico.

"Don't." Nico seemed confused as Leo turned back to his work.

"Don't what?" His inquiry was tentative, testing the waters, and Leo snorted. Was his temper that volatile that even Nico had to be wary of him?

"Please don't tell me to stop working. Because right now, I just need to be doing **something**." Leo felt Nico sitting down beside him delicately.

"Okay." He uttered simply. Leo almost dropped the metal again out of sheer shock. He had expected more of a fight than this.

"Okay, as long as I can stay here as well." Leo nodded, suddenly suspicious of Nico's motives. Why wasn't the other boy dragging him out of the engine room? Why was he just sitting here with him?

Leo continued his work for a few minutes, but eventually the curiosity took over.

"Why aren't you dragging me out of here?" Nico turned to him with a raised eyebrow and a sigh.

"Because you're one stubborn demigod and I was hoping that you'd realise that burying yourself with work isn't going to help anything in the long run." Leo examined Nico for a moment, and he catalogued the strain in his eyes and the slump in his shoulders.

Nico was suffering too, and Leo could either try to cheer his friend up again or he could carry on working and ignore Nico's pain.

Leo placed the metal down gently and stood up. Nico eyed him bemusedly.

"Come on." Leo started walking towards the door, and Nico followed.

They reached Leo's room, and he shoved the door open, gesturing grandly that Nico should enter.

Nico seemed to be taking everything in, the mounds of clutter, clothes and machine parts that filled Leo's room obviously fascinating him.

"Sorry about the mess." Leo sheepishly removed the junk from his bed, and motioned for Nico to sit.

Buford (who had been resting in Leo's room, the lazy table), moved over to wait beside the bed. Leo retrieved Isaac and his speakers from the drawer, and set them up, before pulling a pack of cards out of his tool belt.

"Wanna play?" Nico nodded, and they shifted round a little bit so that they were both cross-legged and facing each other on the bed.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico hadn't thought that Leo would actually agree to leave the engine room, so when his Latino friend had lead him into the hallway Nico had been pleasantly surprised.

This was made even better by the fact that Leo had put some actually decent music on and then pulled out a pack of cards.

Nico was very familiar with a lot of card games (being trapped in a casino tended to have that sort of effect on people) and playing with Leo was hilarious.

Bull was the hardest game for them to play as they were both so proficient in lying. Leo was great at looking guilty as sin when he wasn't lying and then he would do the same expression when he was guilty, and he really messed with Nico's head, throwing him cheeky winks as he boldly lied. And Nico knew that his own lying skills were nothing to be laughed at, he had an amazing deadpan stare that appeared to get under Leo's skin.

Occasionally, when they were playing a game that wasn't too taxing or didn't require utmost attention, Leo would quietly sing along with whatever song the Ipod was playing. As usual, the older demigod's voice was stunning, and Nico got goosebumps whenever Leo sang a line from a particularly sad song, his voice turning soft and melancholy.

In fact, Nico ended up paying more attention to Leo's singing then the cards most of the time, and he couldn't help wondering if Leo had some elaborate plan to throw him off by singing then beating him in cards.

Some of the songs seemed completely out of place on Leo's Ipod, but Nico went with it.

During one game of Go fish, a song came on, and Leo froze before dumping his cards and scrambling to turn the next song on, apparently forgetting that he had made it voice activated.

"What's wrong?" Leo's expression turned sad.

"That song kind of sums up a bad part of my life, and I didn't want the mood to get too depressing if I ended up singing along to it."

"You can sing it if you want. We can't exactly continue this game anyway." Leo glanced ruefully at his scattered hand.

"Sorry." Nico grinned shrugged in response, and then he leant over to press what seemed to be the back button. He then settled back against the head board, closing his eyes and preparing to listen to a song that would more than likely tell him more about his friend.

The music paused, and Nico cracked one eye open in irritation.

"Are you sure that you don't mind?"

"If I minded then I wouldn't have told you that it was okay." He closed his eye again, and he heard Leo take a deep breath before restarting the song. The music sounded quite upbeat and cheerful, especially considering the fact that Leo had said that the song might be depressing, but Nico didn't comment.

And then Leo properly began to sing.

"I woke up it was seven, waited till eleven just to figure out that no one would call. I think I've got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them. What's another night all alone? When you're spending everyday on your own and here it goes..." Nico thought that the lyrics could also be relevant to him, after all, he had spent a lot of time on his own. It also made him very sad to realise that Leo had also had a lonely childhood.

"I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare. I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair. Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me." Nico also contemplated the chorus, life as a demigod child certainly was never fair and sometimes it did feel like nobody cared about you. Nico drew his legs up to his chest as Leo continued singing, bitterness mixing with anger and loneliness in his voice.

"And maybe when the night is dead, I'll crawl into my bed, staring at these four walls again. I'll try to think about the last time I had a good time, everyone's got somewhere to go And they're gonna leave me here on my own. And here it goes..." Nico had lost both his mother, his sister and his memories. And Leo also knew loss. Everyone did seem to leave them. And before Leo had befriended him, Nico had to think very hard to recollect having a good time.

As the chorus kicked in, Nico slid his eyes open. Leo's face also contained the same bitter twist that his voce did, despite the fact that his eyes were closed. Somehow, great suffering and loss were still portrayed on Leo's face, even without the most expressive part of the body.

"What the hell is wrong with me, don't fit with anybody, how did this happen to me? Wide awake I'm bored and I can't fall asleep and every night is the worst night ever." Nico felt these words as if they were a knife to the gut. The fact that they didn't seem to fit with the crew of the Argo was one of the reasons the two had bonded, but it was still a strange feeling to hear Leo singing about emotions that Nico had felt often whilst on the ship. And after Tartarus, before becoming friends with Leo, every night had been filled with escalating levels of despair and hopelessness. This song seemed to perfectly describe him, yet Leo said that it described a period of his own life. He wondered what had made the son of Hephaestus feel such pain.

Leo repeated the line "I'm just a kid" five times, each time more heart wrenching then the last. Nico felt himself echo the words, and Leo's warm hand wormed its way into Nico's.

Leo burst into the chorus again, and Nico sang with him, feeling as if the burden was shared between them with these lyrics. Then, Nico sat back and allowed Leo to sing the final verse.

"I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare, I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair. Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is, nobody wants to be alone in the world, nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight. I'm all alone tonight. Nobody cares tonight. Cause I'm just a kid tonight."

The line, "nobody wants to be alone" held a particular resonance with Nico. Leo was smiling sadly at him, and Nico squeezed the hand that was holding his.

"Well that accurately summarises the life of a demigod." Nico stated dryly, and Leo chuckled mirthlessly.

"Being a demigod really does suck." Nico snorted.

"Understatement." Leo hummed in agreement, before scooting along the bed so that he was leaning against the headboard with Nico.

"Leo..." Nico trailed off, unsure about whether or not his question would cross that invisible line that governed social interaction, a line that no one had truly explained to Nico before.

But Leo tilted his head in encouragement, and Nico steeled himself.

"Does this song still apply to you?" Leo stiffened almost imperceptibly, but Nico noticed the movement and prayed that he hadn't spoken out of turn.

And then Leo surprised him by laughing.

"You know, if you had asked me a couple of weeks ago then I probably would have said yes. But now, now I don't think it does." Leo's smile was so warm that Nico had to look away, a little embarrassed at the fact that Leo was insinuating that his company had made the song no longer apply to Leo.

"Aw, is wittle Neeks blushing ?" Leo smirked in a teasing way, before leaning in to prod Nico's (unfortunately) red cheek.

"Shut up." Nico grumbled.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo had felt a bit self-conscious about saying something like that, and he was glad that Nico didn't seem too freaked out over it. To try and dispel his own discomfort over the situation, Leo gathered the cards together again, making sure to bend down and scoop up the ones that they had knocked off of the bed. To be honest, he had sort of forgotten about the cards.

Once he had collected them all, he sat back up, shuffling them thoughtfully. Nico's face had an even redder tinge, and Leo wondered why distractedly.

"Up for another game?" He asked, offering the cards to Nico, who nodded.

They played for a good few hours, though both still had things on their mind. Leo knew that something was still bothering Nico, though he didn't know how to ask what was wrong.

He mentally sighed, and decided that before the night was over, he would know what was wrong with Nico Di Angelo.

* * *

So here it is, chapter eighteen. I hope that you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry about the song, I really have a thing for Leo singing.


	19. Chapter 19

Yay, Leo and Nico bonding time! But Nico's upset about something, and Leo's determined to find out what. He's got his work cut out for him. Thank you to everyone who has faved or followed the story, and to my beta Chromatophobe.

Nightcorelover297 : I'm glad that you liked it, and that the song didn't bother you.

Mondmaedchen : Hehe, I really do love Leo singing. And that's a good idea, I always log off no matter what I'm on because I don't really trust anyone when it comes to my FF account.

Enhisbeautiful : It's still a friendship thing, but Nico is willing to admit that Leo is attractive.

WhiteWinterStar : Their music is great, and their songs fit so many of my favourite characters. And, about Nico looking at Leo's butt... maybe ;) I'm happy that you enjoyed.

HowlingRain : I'm glad that you liked it, even if it isn't normally your thing and that you're looking forwards to the next chapter.

Cupcake Gal : I've made so many people cry, I don't know whether I should be happy about that fact :) And it's a good song, I really would recommend it.

Jadejackson44 : Your wish is my command.

Disclaimer : Is Leo the biggest main character in PJO? No? Then it isn't mine.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico loved playing cards with Leo. It was such a simple and mundane activity, and in the life of a demigod simple and mundane were hard to come by.

But Nico knew that Leo was worried about him, amongst other things. Everybody was feeling the stress of having such an important mission, after all, two of their friend's lives were depending on them.

He was just waiting for Leo to ask what was wrong, and he was dreading the moment that he did because Nico would have to lie to his friend.

Because he couldn't tell Leo that either he or Hazel were not going to make it out of the House of Hades. The spirits of the dead had been quite clear about the fact that only one of them would make it to the doors of death. And he definitely couldn't tell Leo that he would sacrifice himself in an instance if it meant keeping Hazel safe.

"Co...Nico!" Nico shook himself out of his stupor to meet Leo's concern filled eyes. Leo dropped his cards onto the bed, and folded his arms.

"What's wrong?" Nico had done bad things in the past - and lying was certainly one of them - but the thought of having to lie to Leo now hurt horrifically.

"Just the quest in general. I'm... I'm worried about everyone." Nico hoped that by telling a little bit of the truth, Leo would be thrown of the scent. It also helped to ease his guilt a little bit.

"So am I." Leo twiddled his thumbs, before his expression turned pained.

"I've lost so many people that the thought of losing any more, well, I would rather die myself the let anything happen to any of you guys." Nico was once again blown away by how similar he and Leo were. He had just thought pretty much the same thing about Hazel.

"Me too." He muttered, praying that Leo would drop it. Leo exhaled in exasperation.

"Look, you don't have to tell me what else is wrong, but I am here for you Nico. You aren't alone on this boat, and your problems are my problems." For one minute, Nico was tempted to confess everything, but he stopped himself just in time.

Leo had enough problems of his own, like single-handedly keeping the boat from falling apart and having a girlfriend who is currently immaterial. A girlfriend who still gave Nico an eerie feeling, despite the fact that he had gotten to know her a little better and she was seemingly lovely.

"Well, it's getting late. We should probably go to bed." Nico tried not to frown, and Leo apparently caught on to his reluctance to leave, as he grinned.

"How about a sleepover?" Nico debated the merits of staying in Leo's room for the night in his head. He would be less likely to have nightmares, and if he did then Leo would be able to wake him up, but he had never had a sleep over before and he didn't want to mess it up and have Leo regret letting him sleepover. Plus, he could only see one bed, and there was no way that he was going to share a bed with Leo.

They might be friends, but that would just be too awkward, and if Nico did have a nightmare then he might hurt Leo if he's too close.

Yet it would mean that he didn't have to sleep alone in a dark, empty cabin...

"Sure." Leo grinned, and made his way to a cupboard in the back of the room. His journey was accompanied by a soundtrack of pained grunts and murmured "ouches" as Leo failed to navigate past various piles of junk safely.

When he reached the closet, Leo turned around with a thumbs up and mouthed "nailed it!". Nico attempted to not appear woefully old fashioned, but he had absolutely no clue what "nailed it" meant. Leo shook his head, before tapping on the wall, "I'll teach you in a minute".

Whilst Leo could have just shouted that message, or even just spoke at a normal volume to have Nico hear him, the fact that he had used morse code (an art that he had taught Nico) made warm tingles run through Nico's body. He knew that morse code was something very important to Leo, and to be permitted to share it was a amazing feeling.

From the closet, Leo withdrew an inflatable mattress, and Nico felt sheer relief as they wouldn't have to share the bed.

He remembered Bianca telling him a story while they were in the casino, one of the memories that she had retained was of a sleepover that she had held with a girl from school. They had both argued about who would take the bed and who would take the spare mattress. Nico wondered whether or not he and Leo would have a similar argument, but of course, Leo could never do anything normally.

The Latino was pulling tools out of his belt and gathering up materials from his floor.

"What are you doing?" Nico inquired, eyes riveted to the older demigods puzzling movements.

"Making you a bed." Leo stated this as if it should be obvious, as if Nico was the weird one for not realising this.

"Seriously, the mattress was fine. Plus, isn't it a waste of materials?" Leo rolled his eyes.

"I can always take it apart tomorrow, and sleeping on an airbed sucks." Leo's tone warned Nico not to prod at that.

"Fine." Nico was admittedly a little touched that Leo was actually making him a bed so that he could stay over comfortably.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo finished the bed in under ten minutes, he was just that good. Then came the challenge of blowing up the stupid mattress.

He took a deep breath, before puffing into the mattress. It didn't take as long as he expected it to, but when he had closed the tiny hole, he knew that he was completely red in the face from the exertion.

Nico took one look at him, and then burst out laughing.

"You look...like you just... fought some dangerous monster... instead of just blowing up a mattress!" He managed to choke out, and Leo's lips curved upwards at the unrestrained laughter. Nico truly looked his age when he laughed.

Leo still wanted Nico to tell him what was wrong, but he also enjoyed removing the haunted look from Nico's face, and getting him to act like the kid he is.

"I better go and get pyjamas then." Nico inched towards the door, and Leo grabbed his wrist gently.

"You can just borrow some of mine if you want. We're the same height, and you're skinny enough to fit them so it's fine if you just want to lend a pair." Nico sat back down on Leo's bed. Leo was about to join him, when a knock was heard.

Leo glanced at the clock that he had resting on his nightstand. The figure was partially obscured by a half finished figure of a miniature Festus, but Leo could deduce that it was around half past ten from the numbers visible.

Leo silently pleaded that this wasn't another emergency, that no one was attacking the ship.

Jason stood outside of his door, two plates full of food in his hands. Calypso floated beside him. Both looked worried.

Jason spotted Nico and the second bed.

"You guys both missed lunch and dinner." Jason offered the plates forward, and Leo took both, sheepishly smiling at his worried friend and girlfriend.

"We kind of lost track of time for a while, and by the time we had realised that it was getting late, it as too late for us to join you. Stupid ADHD." Jason accepted this at face value, they had all pretty much fallen victim to ADHD at some point. He waved, said goodnight to his friends and walked away.

Calypso remained, hovering for a second.

"Goodnight." She whispered sweetly, before leaning in to gift Leo with a ghostly approximation of a kiss. Although their lips didn't actually touch, Leo still felt the sentiment behind the gesture. Calypso called goodnight to Nico, before winking.

"Have fun." She then glided off down the hallway.

Leo sat back next to Nico.

"So what does nailed it mean?" Leo snickered slightly.

"It means that you've pulled something of awesomely or, more commonly, that you've failed something spectacularly and want to make fun of it."

"Oh." Nico seemed to contemplate that for a few minutes.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"What do people usually do at sleepovers?" Leo realised with a start that this was Nico's first sleepover.

"Well, people usually do each other's hair, gossip about boys and then paint each other's nails." Leo used a high falsetto voice for this, and Nico gave him a deadpan stare.

"What colour do you want your nails then?" Nico deadpanned, and Leo burst into a fit of laughter a the other boy's sarcasm.

"To be honest, people usually do the same things at sleepovers as they would do whilst hanging out normally, with the addition of some things such as ouija boards and pillow fights."

"We don't really need an ouija board. And I really don't think that we should try summoning ghosts." Leo shuddered, as did Nico, at the thought of conjuring spirits.

"Yeah, lets skip that one." Nico agreed, and Leo wracked his brain for other things that they could do. And then he got an idea. He began pulling pieces of card out of his tool belt. He left them on his bed, and then he fetched some pyjamas for both himself and Nico.

"Put these on, you can get changed in the bathroom." Leo flung the pyjamas to Nico who caught them easily before complying with Leo's request.

"I'll get changed out here, then when you're done I'll finish brushing my teeth and stuff." Nico called out okay from within Leo's small en suite. Leo got changed quickly. Once Nico had finished getting ready, Leo swiftly finished his night time routine, before launching himself onto the bed, almost dislodging the son of Hades and the pieces of card.

Leo had once again foregone a shirt, and he was wearing simple red pyjama bottoms.

Nico was wearing a pair of black pyjamas with flame designs weaved into them. The pyjamas almost fitted him perfectly, it was lucky that he was so close in size to the other boy.

Nico glared at him for jumping on the bed, before he returned to staring at the card.

"What's this for?" Leo felt his grin widen as he retrieved a packet of multi coloured pens from inside of his tool belt.

"As Mythomagic is your favourite game, and it's based around Greek mythology, I think that the more modern heroes should have their own cards." Nico's jaw dropped.

"Are you suggesting that we make cards for the other campers?" Leo nodded, enthusiasm bubbling inside of him.

"Mythomagic is a little more complicated than just the cards, Leo. You should know that from playing it with me earlier." Leo felt his excitement begin to fizzle out at this somewhat cold sounding dismissal.

"We'll have to make bios as well." It was Leo's turn to be surprised, as Nico plucked a blank piece of card off of the bed.

"I'll make the bios if you make the cards." Nico suggested, and Leo smiled widely, taking his own stack of card and pens.

They both highly enjoyed making the cards, though making cards for Percy and Annabeth did hurt. They couldn't leave out two of their centuries greatest heroes though, so the cards had to be made.

They made each other's cards, and they also made cards for the rest of the seven, Coach Hedge, Grover, Rachel Dare and some other campers.

They also made brief cards for some of the Romans, in the hopes that one day they'd be allied and these cards could be filled out properly.

Leo felt especially pleased at the amount of times that he made Nico laugh. The other boy also made him laugh which was nice.

Notable moments of amusement would be when Leo stated that one of Jason's special powers was attracting bricks, when Nico wrote down that Grover was also available in a limited addition bridal mode (they had both been told about the Sea of Monsters quest to retrieve the golden fleece) and when Leo mentioned that Octavian's best ability was scaring away animals of the stuffed variety.

Overall, the mood was calm and relaxed, and Leo was glad to be giving his friend as good sleepover experience.

Once they had finished with the cards and bios, Leo turned and grinned in a (hopefully) creepy manner.

"Scary movie time."

* * *

Well, technically they live together so I suppose it's not the exact same thing as a sleepover, but oh well. Details shmetails. And poor Leo still doesn't know what's wrong. Well, I'll see you next time.


	20. Chapter 20

Well, the sleepover has been successful so far, but Nico hasn't opened up to Leo. Thank you to everyone who has faved or followed and to my amazing beta Chromatophobe.

Neon Wish Loves Peach Trees : I'm glad that you liked it

WhiteWinterStar : Teehee, I enjoyed the cards. And maybe I will have Nico spill everything, but then again, maybe I won't ;)

Jadejackson44 : Wow, thank you, I'm grateful for the compliment. And I just always felt as if Leo and Nico could be good friends if given the chance.

Mondmaedchen : Thanks, and the boys are both very stubborn, it might take them a long time to spill their guts about anything.

HowlingRain : Thank you, and I can just see the two sitting together and debating their friend's stats.

Disclaimer : If only I owned HOO, I would have so much fun with Leo. I don't own any of the films either.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico had to laugh. Did Leo seriously think that a son of Hades could ever be scared by horror movies?

They had sat back together on Leo's bed and Leo smirked proudly.

"Where's the television?" Nico couldn't see one anywhere in the mess that dwelled in.

Leo removed a remote from the bedside table and clicked one of the buttons.

A gigantic television was revealed as a section of the wood panelling slid back. Nico gaped as Leo watched triumphantly.

Leo then proceeded to remove some microwave bags of popcorn from his tool belt, heating them up and passing one to Nico.

He fiddled with the remote for a minute, and a screen popped up.

"That's a huge telly!" Nico couldn't believe that Leo had managed to hide something like that behind one of his walls.

"I've modified it as well." Leo somehow managed to get a playlist up. Nico wasn't exactly up to date with modern technology, despite Leo's best efforts. But this television looked so complicated. He wondered if the television where they watched movies as a group was as complicated as this.

Leo flicked down a list of horror movies. He hovered his remote over one called "El orfanato", but then he moved on after a quick glance at Nico.

"What's that one?" Leo looked at him and shrugged.

"It's called the orphanage. It's a film in Spanish; if we watched it then you'd have to read the subtitles." Nico had an internal debate; it would be difficult to read fast moving subtitles due to his dyslexia. But Leo had looked at the film longingly, and Nico was willing to put up with subtitles if Leo really wanted to watch this film.

"I'm okay with that." Leo sized him up, as if questioning whether or not he was telling the truth. He then smiled a genuine smile that caused Nico to smile back reflexively.

"If you're sure that you don't mind." Nico nodded in confirmation that he didn't mind, and Leo moved his cursor back to the Spanish horror film.

The plot was interesting, if a little sad, and Nico enjoyed the film immensely even with the added annoyance of trying to keep up with the subtitles.

"That was really good." Nico's eyes drifted towards his companion, and he was shocked to spot hints of tears on the Latino's face.

"Are you okay?" Nico inquired, concernedly. Leo nodded, laughing and wiping the traces of tears away.

"Yeah, it just has such a bitter sweet ending. It's definitely one of my favourite films." Nico considered this for a moment, and he made his decision.

"Do you have any other Spanish films?" Leo looked confused.

"Why?" Nico blushed slightly; this confession could be potentially embarrassing.

"I like the accent. It's a beautiful language." Leo stared at him for a moment, and them the gentle smile returned.

"Gracias. Me gusta mi lengua tambien (thank you. I like my language also)." Nico tried to subdue his blush at the way the Spanish words rolled off of Leo's tongue. Leo was now scrolling through another list.

"Okay, I've got Pan's labyrinth, Maria full of grace and a few others. Do you want to watch any of them?"

"Pan's Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, it has a satyr in, but isn't really that connected to Greek myth."

"Oh. Can we watch it anyway?"

"Sure."

They ended up watching a handful of Spanish films.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo enjoyed teaching Nico a little bit about the Spanish culture. He wondered if Nico was actually interested in what Leo was telling him, or if he was just being polite.

He swiftly decided that Nico was being genuine, and he made a mental note to introduce Nico to even more of the Spanish culture later on.

Maybe he could make some Spanish food for him, Paella was always fun to make. There was also a lot of great Spanish music outthere, and Leo could do the basics of some Spanish dances like the flamenco.

It was fast approaching, midnight, and Leo contemplated the best way to get Nico to tell him what was truly wrong.

He hoped that honesty would work; a sort of give and take method.

"Do you know why I think it's my fault that Percy and Annabeth fell?" Nico glared at him, as if to remind him that it wasn't his fault but Leo had to get this off his chest, and hopefully that would help Nico to tell him what was up.

"Me and Hazel met Nemesis, a while back. She gave me a fortune cookie, and said that I would come across a problem that I wouldn't be able to solve. If I broke the fortune cookie, then I would receive help but I would have to pay the price. I broke the fortune cookie." Nico stared at him, his expression unreadable.

"Why did you break it?" Leo hadn't expected that.

"Hazel, Frank and I were trapped underground. I needed to activate the Archimedes sphere to save them but I couldn't crack the code." Nico's expression turned soft, almost fond.

"Then even if the fortune cookie is the reason for them being in Tartarus, I don't think that Percy and Annabeth would hold it against you. Percy especially, wouldn't mind if breaking the fortune cookie saved Hazel and Frank." Leo was blown away by this. He had blamed himself for so long, but now Nico (who had known Percy and Annabeth a lot longer than him) was saying that they wouldn't have blamed him.

Leo was alarmed to find tears trickling down his cheeks. Nico was looking at him with an expression of abject horror that would have been hilarious in any other situation.

"Was that a bad thing to say?" Leo shook his head, and pressed his hands to his eyes, unable to speak due to his utter relief.

"Leo." Nico's voice was tentative, but Leo was literally shaking with relieved tears.

"Do you really think that they wouldn't blame me?" He managed to choke out after a few minutes.

"Yes. Is that what you've been so stressed over?"

"Mostly."

"Then stop worrying about that."

"I'm also worried about you." Nico froze at this, and Leo watched the subtle signs of an internal war flash across his face.

"Look I'm fi…"

"Don't. Don't make up some bull about everything being okay. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but please don't lie outright to my face." Nico's eyes gazed sadly at him.

"I communed with the dead." Leo was about to probe this statement, but then a loud crash echoed throughout the ship. Both boys bolted upwards, groaning.

"We'll continue this in a minute." Leo made sure to fix Nico with a pointed stare as he looped his tool belt around his waist. Nico appeared relieved, though his face remained pale. Leo knew that whatever Nico was about to confess was massively important, and he prayed that Nico wouldn't chicken out now that he had the opportunity.

They ran out of the room, Nico's stygian iron sword somehow appearing in his hand (Leo wondered where Nico had stashed that in his room).

Up on deck, Frank was blushing furiously. Piper was laughing at the Chinese-Canadian baby man, whilst Hazel snickered. Jason and Calypso had followed hem up, and Leo could hear Coach Hedge shouting about "leaving something for him to fight."

Man, the Coach was going to be so angry when he found out that there was nothing to fight.

"Soooooooo, what's going on in this neck of the woods?" Frank glared at him balefully, and Piper's laugh got louder.

"Frrank was in the crows nest, and he almost fell asleep and toppled out. He tried to turn into a bird to save himself, but he turned into a baboon instead."

"Are you okay?" Jason's face was mostly serious, but he even he seemed to be struggling to stop his mouth from twitching upwards.

Leo was concerned as well, but as Frank just seemed embarrassed, Leo gave in to his laughter. He could hear Nico chuckling as well, and Calypso's beautiful face was radiant with joy. Hazel shook her head before kissing Frank one the cheek. Leo wondered if it was possible for Hazel to get any redder.

"I'll take over if you want to go and get some sleep." Nico offered, and Leo almost growled at this idea. He was about to protest, when Jason saved him the effort.

"No. You and Leo finish your sleepover. I'll take over." Leo shot Jason a thank you grin, and tugged Nico back to his bedroom.

Distractions aside, he really needed to find out what was bugging Nico, he had been so close to finding out before Frank got in touch with his inner animal. Leo noted to himself that he had to think up some good baboon jokes before he next saw Frank.

He dragged Nico through the door, and sat them both down on his bed.

"So..." Nico wrung his hands together. Leo hoped that he wasn't coming of to pressuring, he really wanted to know what was wrong with his friend but not at the expense of Nico being uncomfortable with him.

"I communed with the dead." Leo shifted anxiously, now was a really bad time for his ADHD to kick in. He silently urged Nico to just get to the point.

"It's always a painful experience to speak with the dead. Most of the time they are bitter and resentful, or just plain sad. They can also be conniving and devious, therefore you have to be really careful with which spirit you trust." Nico's voice sounded a little bitter, and Leo filed that away as something to deal with later. That obviously wasn't the issue that was playing on Nico's mind right now.

"Well, sometimes they hear things, relevant things, and pass them along to me because I am a son of Hades. So I talked to them a little while ago." Leo had to restrain himself from throttling Nico at this repetition and subversion, patience was a very necessary skill when dealing with Nico.

"They said that either me or Hazel wouldn't make it to Death's doors." Leo felt as if an invisible spirit had sucker punched him. Nico or Hazel wouldn't make to the Doors of Death. One of his friends was going to be lost.

His eyes drifted upwards. Nico's eyes were frightened but resolute at the same time, and Leo knew that Nico was willing to sacrifice himself if it came down to it.

Leo was feeling soul destroying despair at the thought of losing either of his friends.

He couldn't lose any one else, he just couldn't. Leo knew that if anything happened to any of the others, he would lose a part of himself with them.

His bisabuelo had asked him to look after Hazel, and Nico was fast becoming one of Leo's most important friends. He refused to lose either of them.

"No." Nico's eyes turned mournful.

"Trying to avoid Fate never goes well."

"I'm not talking about avoiding Fate, I'm talking about straight up changing it, making it work for us." Nico's eyebrow raised pointedly, and Leo's fist clenched.

"Prophecies are always difficult to understand, and often they don't mean exactly what you think they do. This may mean something completely different. And if the line does mean what you think it does, then we'll find away to turn it around."

"If the line means what I think it does, then Hazel has to survive." Leo's eyes burned, and small flames danced along his arms, drawing a wary stare from Nico.

"You have to survive as well." Nico barked out a bitter laugh which shocked Leo.

"Why? I'm not a member of the Seven so I don't really matter to this quest. And no one at camp likes me, whereas Hazel is reasonably well liked within her cohort. And losing Hazel would destroy Frank. I don't have a boyfriend. Plus, Hazel's already died once, she deserves to live a lot longer this time around." Misery and anger swirled around in Leo's stomach. Did Nico not realise how much Leo cared about him.

"First of all, there are only Seven of us in this prophecy, but that doesn't make an other demigod expendable. Plus, right now you're absolutely vital for us to survive the House of Hades. And we all like you, and I'm pretty sure that a lot more people at the camp care about you then you think. None of my siblings dislike you, Harley actually seems to think you're pretty cool."

Nico's expression turned contemplative.

"Grover was always decent to me as well..." He trailed off, obviously letting these thoughts sink in.

"And so what if you're not dating any one right now, it doesn't make you any less of an amazing person. Your kind and can be really funny when you want to. The Fates have thrown some pretty terrible things at you, yet you still fight alongside us. So yeah, no one may be dating you right now, but that's probably just because they are too blown away by how brilliant you are to actually ask out." Leo was a little out of breath from this inspirational speech. But the stunned look on Nico's face was worth the temporary breathlessness.

"Thanks." Leo smiled, and Nico also grinned, a smile that was 100 per cent real.

"No need, the truth is easy to say when it's so obvious." Nico suddenly flung himself at Leo for a hug, and Leo ran his hand through the younger boy's hair. It always amazed him how Nico's youth truly shone through when he cried.

* * *

Aww, Nico has opened up to Leo and Leo has done his best to help. But they still have a lot of troubles to face before the quest is over.


	21. Chapter 21

And now Nico has confessed what has been troubling him, and Leo is more determined than ever to make sure that none of his friends are lost for any reason during this quest. Though it will turn out harder then he thinks to keep all of his friends safe. Oh, and I'm trying to cut down on the amount of scenes that I take from the actual books, so I'll mention some events but I am still trying my best to alter them. A big thanks to anyone who faved or followed and to my beta Chromatophobe.

Neon Wish Loves Peach Trees : Thank you :)

Enhisbeautiful : Thanks, and they do have a beautiful bromance.

Guest : Thanks :)

Mondmaedchen : Oh, it's definitely not just you. I love me a little hurt Leo in the morning. And they are both sweet when they want to be.

WhiteWinterStar : Yep, Frank is so clumsy. And it's always great to have a friend with whom you can share your impending doom ;) Plus, Leo has become a top motivational speaker.

Disclaimer : If I owned Leo then I would be married. I am not married.

* * *

Leo's P.O.V

Leo smiled down at the sleeping son of Hades who was curled into his arms. Normally something like this would be highly awkward, but both boys had needed the physical contact.

He shifted and carefully placed Nico on the bed that he had set up for the younger demigod. He tucked him in before stretching and huddling under his own covers.

He did not sleep well though. No matter what he did, he just couldn't stay asleep.

Groaning, he sat up. Usually Leo would have gone and tinkered in the engine room for a little while, a desire that was heightened by the knowledge that a giant goddess statue was just waiting for Leo to discover it's secrets, but he couldn't just abandon Nico. Plus, the other demigod looked really content, and Leo didn't want to play the selfish friend who woke up other people at all hours. Especially as he knew of Nico's odd sleeping habits.

As Leo contemplated on whether or not he could start to build something without waking Nico, the other boy's eyes fluttered open.

When the other boy noticed that Leo was sitting up, he also moved so that he was upright.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly, voice sleepy yet still concerned.

"Fine, I just can't sleep." Nico rubbed his eyes blearily, and Leo shifted uncomfortably as the other boy silently appraised him.

"Do you want to go and work on something." Leo nodded gratefully, but then his thankfulness turned to confusion when Nico pulled his own covers off.

"You know that I'll probably be working on the Parthenos till breakfast, you can stay here and rest if you want." Nico laughed gently, surprising Leo with its light echo.

"I'm going to get changed, I'll meet you in the stables." Nico then disappeared into the shadows, leaving Leo to stare at the spot where he had previously been sitting in confusion.

Though it also made him happy that Nico was willing to forego precious hours of sleep to watch him try and figure out how to work a giant statue.

Leo got ready quickly, despite the fact that he was running on virtually no sleep. He'd done it before and would probably do it again.

He cautiously left his room and roamed the halls as silently as he could. He didn't want to wake anyone else up so he crept past each of their rooms silently. He even took precautions despite the fact that everyone but himself, Frank, Nico, Calypso and the Coach where on deck.

Leo reached the stable and slid in. He was startled when he turned around after closing teh door to come face to face with a smirking son of Hades.

"Waah." He gasped and Nico snickered quietly at his expression.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up death boy." Nico's snickers turned to angry spluttering, but Leo simply breezed past him and further into the stables.

Eyeing up the majestic statue, he instantly became excited at the prospect of learning about how the statue worked.

This excitement was squashed when, even after hours, Leo had not found anything new out about the Parthenos. The stupid thing radiated magical power, but this didn't help Leo at all.

For the first couple of hours, Nico had bantered back and forth with him, but the younger demigod had been gradually flagging and was now sleeping propped up against the statue.

Leo sighed. Annabeth had been certain that the statue would bring the two camps together, and Leo would be damned if he didn't rectify his mistakes from the Eidolon incident. He also owed it to Annabeth to play out her hunch.

His eyelids were starting to droop, but he still scrambled over to the figure of Nike. Hopefully the goddess would grant him victory on his own personal quest to find out what magical properties the Parthenos possesses.

Apparently the goddess of victory wasn't feeling generous as Leo found himself drifting off, exhausted and exasperated.

He woke up to both Nico and Jason's anxious faces, the echoes of the nightmare that he had just had lingering in his mind.

"Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?" Leo muttered something about cuddling as he tried to fight off the bad feelings from his dream.

They all headed to the dining room for breakfast.

Over breakfast, the demigods (minus Piper who was on the deck trying to prevent Coach Hedge from destroying the Italian countryside) and Calypso discussed the House of Hades and Leo ended up having to describe his dream to the others. It wasn't a particularly fun dream to relive, especially when they discussed it further and decided that Leo would be taking on the big unfriendly giant.

Leo really wasn't enjoying the chat about the quest, in fact he was caught up thinking about his nightmare, when suddenly the images of Camp Half Blood began to flicker.

A feat that should have been impossible.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was not a happy camper. Nico was never a happy camper, but that was beside the point. he could tell that Leo was still shaken up about his nightmare, especially when it was declared that Clytius would be Leo's problem to deal with.

And not only did Leo have an enemy to deal with, it looked like Hazel was also going to be facing a powerful foe. The two people onboard at the moment who were most important Nico and they were both going to be in deadly danger soon, deadlier danger than they normally faced.

This was all revealed before the ship was assaulted by hyper and annoying dwarves who's attack had led to Nico being knocked out.

He had woken up to a worried Hazel and the knowledge that both Leo and Jason had gone after the monkey dwarves.

After this announcement he had eaten some ambrosia and then proceeded to pace up and down on the deck, grumpy and worried about his friend.

Calypso didn't look very pleased either, she had been willing to go with the others but Leo had asked her to keep the boat flying.

Nico didn't understand why he was acting so over protective right now as the other two probably weren't in that much danger.

The dwarves hadn't looked seemed that intimidating from the brief glance of them that he had gotten from the screen before he had been knocked out, they just looked kind of mischievous.

Nico bitterly wondered if they were related to Leo as he continued his pacing.

Hazel was watching him with an increasingly amused expression. Finally he turned on her.

"What?" He meant for his tone to sound more in control, but it just sounded petulant instead. Hazel giggled.

"It's nice to see how close you and Leo are." She smiled at him warmly, and he felt a blush begin to creep onto his face.

"Yeah, well, he kind of grew on me." Calypso exchanged a glance with him that screamed "he really does tend to do that".

"Lets just hope that those two idiots don't get in too much trouble." Piper grumbled as she removed a piece of duct tape from her arm that she had missed earlier.

It was then that Nico spotted the two.

Jason was flying them over. Leo had a strange piece of equipment securely held between his legs, his tool belt hastily wrapped around his waist (though his pants were suspiciously low), a book clenched in one hand and the Archimedes sphere clutched under his other arm.

Nico couldn't help thinking that it was lucky that Leo was so light otherwise Jason probably wouldn't have been able to carry him and all of the assorted items that Leo was trying so hard not to drop. He definitely didn't admire Leo's chest. That would have been a step to far, even if Leo was okay with Nico's sexuality, it didn't give Nico a right to keep checking him out.

They came to a halt, hovering over the Argo.

"Could somebody take this please?" Leo wiggled his legs slightly, waving the equipment that he had clenched between his knees. Nico rolled his eyes before taking the unusual item and laying it gently on the deck.

Jason then put Leo down before landing next to him. Leo lay the other items next to the first.

"I'll take it that you sorted the Kerkopes out then?"

Leo smiled bashfully, and then his pants slid down leaving him in his boxers with just his belt around his waist. Leo slapped his hands into his face, and muttered some Spanish curses.

He untied his tool belt, hiked his pants back up and then tied t firmly around them.

Frank was busting a gut laughing whereas Nico could practically smell the smoke coming off of his sister her face, was so red.

Nico then realised that he could actually smell smoke, Leo's nose was burning as everyone laughed at him.

"Stupid twerps best delay the Romans well seeing as they stole my zip." Leo grabbed the Archimedes sphere and made his way over to the console. Everyone had stopped laughing when Leo mentioned Romans.

Nico noticed Calypso gazing sadly at the first weird piece of equipment, but shrugged it off as it was more important to find out what exactly Leo and Jason had done to defeat the Kerkopes and what exactly Leo was talking about when he mentioned distracting the Romans.

Leo was leaning over the console, securely attaching his precious Archimedes sphere back in its slot.

Tiny fire sprung to life all over his body which he ignored in favour of his work.

Jason told the story up until the fountain part, then he backed out to allow Leo to finish the tale of.

Nico marvelled at the thought of Leo making weapons out of such basic items, he really was a genius. Plus, Leo was acting as if it was no real big deal that he had taken down both Kerkopes before Jason even got there.

His modesty was amazing, especially when contrasted with the way he usually joked around and bigged up his successes.

Nico turned his attention to the odd collection on the floor. He wasn't really sure what the machine thing was, but the book was interesting.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo frowned as he made sure the Archimedes sphere wasn't too damaged from his tampering. He finished the story absentmindedly, filling them in on why he had mentioned the Romans.

All of the demigods had snickered at the thought of the dwarf like creatures harassing Octavian, and the Romans were laughing the loudest.

But then Nico's eyes drifted back to the machine.

"I understand you bringing back the sphere and your belt, and even the book is understandable, but why did you bring his thing here?" He nudged it gently with his foot, and Leo's expression turned panicked for a fraction of a second. Then he plastered on his familiar impish grin , making sure to wipe away any traces of panic that the others might have noticed.

He awkwardly laughed, running his hand through his hair in a practised manner.

"I suppose that I had a Hephaestus moment and just chose it because it looked exciting and mechanical." Calypso's eyes were judging him quietly, and Leo knew that the others were all at least a little bit suspicious of him, but they all let it go after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"So!" he blurted out cheerfully. "Now we just have to get this book back to its owner." They all nodded, and Leo made sure to adjust their cause, triple checking the Archimedes sphere.

It was an important piece of tech and if something went wrong with it then Leo might actually cry.

And anyway, it was his turn on deck with Nico and Calypso. technically, Jason should have been on watch with them, but as he had taken over last night, Leo waved him off and told him to go and have fun with his girlfriend.

As soon as the others had left, and it was just himself, Nico and Calypso, his girlfriend let rip.

"Leo, is that for finding my island again?" Nico's eyebrows raised at this, and he also turned to face Leo.

Leo quietly cursed in Spanish.

"Yes it is. I made a promise on the river Styx to get you off that island and I'm going to fulfil that promise." Nico's eyes widened at the mention of an oath on the river Styx. Leo moaned. He was really going to get a grilling from those two.

* * *

Leo made some troublemaking friends, and now he's managed to get himself in trouble with Nico and Calypso. He really has no luck :)


	22. Chapter 22

Leo now has to find a way to get his friends off of his case. All the while, the quest continues and their lives are going to get even more interesting. Thanks to anyone who faved or followed and to my amazing beta Chromatophobe.

WhiteWinterStar : He's definitely in for a lecture :) And they should definitely be worried about that oath.

Mondmaedchen : I don't mind, and I'll check out your fic later. And Leo is most definitely screwed.

Neon Wish Loves Peach Trees : He's really in trouble now.

ObsessedwReading : Thanks for all of your reviews, I'm happy that you are enjoying it.

Ben123456123 : Here you go :)

Kris Awesomeness : Wow, so many reviews! Thank you for showing support for all of the chapters. And I've always though that they would make adorable friends and that they would both be good singers. The bromance is going to stay in this fic but its sequel will be a yaoi. And I will continue it no matter what so don't worry about that.

Disclaimer : It still hurts to say that I don't own Leo Valdez. The jokes are unfortunately not mine either.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was even more worried about whatever that stupid piece of technology was now for now that Leo had confessed to swearing an oath on the river Styx. Oaths like that were not to be taken lightly, and Nico said as much to Leo who had the nerve to be affronted by this.

"I understand that it's a serious oath, but I'm serious about this promise!" Leo's voice was determined, even vehement and Nico watched as Calypso's eyes turned dark.

"No man lands on Ogygia twice, Leo. Even with something like that, it's impossible. And even if you did manage to return by some sheer miracle, you would still have to convince Zeus to let me off. I wish that you hadn't sworn that oath, Leo." Now Leo's eyes darkened, and Nico was beginning to fear that he'd be stuck in the middle of a couple's quarrel.

"Why, because I'm not the stereotypical hero that lands on your island? If I was Odysseus or Percy would you still regret the oath?" Leo's words were cutting, and Nico was amazed at their toxicity. Calypso also looked shocked at the way Leo was lashing out.

Leo himself seemed surprised at the words he had just spewed at his girlfriend. Shame filtered into his expression, but he clearly wasn't going to take anything back.

"Oh Leo, I'd be upset if anyone made that oath, but especially you. Because if it really is impossible, if Zeus refuses to capitulate, then you will be punished horrendously and I couldn't stand the thought of you suffering because of me." Nico was beginning to feel a little awkward and so he diverted his attention and chose to think of something different.

His thoughts did not take a cheerful turn as a certain line from the prophecy filtered into his mind.

"An oath to keep with a final breath!" Leo and Calypso snapped out of their reconciliation and turned to Nico, confusion evident on both of their faces. Nico felt sick though, completely horrified by what that line could signify with this new information.

Leo caught on, and his face went carefully blank. He couldn't disguise how pale his skin went though, and Nico knew that the thought worried him.

"No..." Calypso mumbled, and Nico just kept staring at Leo, stricken. And then Leo smiled brightly.

"Have you forgotten our little chat about prophecies already?" Nico glared at him.

"That line wasn't an official prophecy, this is." Calypso looked even more bemused as she hadn't been present for that chat.

"The same things still apply. It's easy to misinterpret a prophecy." Leo was way too casual about this, and Nico felt a vein of irritation rise through him alongside of his concern and worry.

"Certain bits of Fate can be avoided but a prophecy such as this can't be circumvented." Calypso was radiating fear, and Nico could relate, he was terrified for Leo.

The Latino remained unflustered which caused Nico to feel even angrier.

Leo sighed.

"Look guys, we've got more important things to deal with at the moment, such as getting that stupid book to its owner and getting through the House of Hades."

"That's not more important than your death being prophesised!" Nico bit out, and Leo's eyes flashed a warning at him.

"There is no proof that I will actually die, so just drop it. And don't tell anyone else about this, everyone is stressed enough as it is." Nico couldn't understand how Leo was being so blasé about this.

"But they might be able to help us with this."

"I thought that it was impossible to alter this according to you?" Nico huffed in frustration.

"Don't make excuses for us to not ell the others."

"Please. They don't need to be worried about something that probably isn't going to turn out the way we think it might." Nico felt helpless. Leo was begging them not to tell the others, but Nico couldn't face a future were Leo might die.

Calypso's eyes raked into Leo's, and she nodded, shoulders slumped in defeat.

And as his ally in the "tell the others so that they can stop Leo dying scheme" caved, Nico knew that he was screwed.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo could pinpoint the exact moment when Nico decided that he wouldn't be telling the others. It was characterised by the sudden look of despair and terror that filled his eyes.

It hurt to see his friend and his girlfriend staring at him with such desolation in their eyes, but Leo couldn't have them worrying he others even more.

Especially as he knew that it was very likely that he would die on this quest.

He was the seventh wheel, the extra machine part that could easily be lost without damaging the machine's overall function, and as such he was most likely to sacrifice himself for the cause.

To storm or fire the world must fall.

And Leo would be damned if he allowed Percy or Jason to make the ultimate sacrifice. Percy had already given up so much - he was in Tartarus for Hades sake - and Jason was too much of a good guy, he didn't deserve to die.

He already had the beginnings of a plan to take out Gaia, and if the plan ended with his death then it would be worth it in his eyes.

Unfortunately, Leo knew that none of his friends would exactly agree with that reasoning, so he had to keep as much of his plan quiet as he could.

If that meant that he'd have to force Nico and Calypso to keep their ideas a secret then it was a necessary evil. Not one that he would enjoy, but it had to be done.

"Anyway, do either of you know any good baboon jokes that I can use on Frank?" They both gave him the evil eye.

"I'll take that as a no then." He muttered under his breath.

"What do you call an exploding monkey? A baboom." Leo gawked at Nico for a moment, who still looked annoyed at him, but a small smile was creeping onto his face. Leo burst into laughter, and eventually the other two followed.

"What do you call a naughty monkey? A badboon!" Leo cracked, and the others laughed even harder.

Even Calypso was getting in the mood.

"What do you feed a 600 pound baboon?" The boys both shook their heads.

"Anything it wants." Leo was laughing so hard that he was almost certain that his stomach was going to explode with the strain.

It was a good way to clear the air of its previous tension, but Leo was still wary that Nico was just bottling up his anger at the situation to rage at Leo later.

After they had stopped their raucous guffawing, the trio drifted to different parts of the deck to actually keep watch.

Nico instantly claimed the crow's nest, and Leo hoped that he was going to use the time to cool down. Calypso had drifted to the edge of the ship and so Leo took over his usual position of manning the wheel.

It wasn't the most exciting of duties as nothing attacked, but Leo decided that that was probably for the best.

As they barely communicated, the tension easily returned, and Leo could feel the awkwardness mounting up as the other two geared up for another argument.

Thankfully, Piper came to fetch them for lunch before a fight broke out.

She could clearly pick up on the aura of anger that surrounded the other two as she cocked a curious eyebrow at him, the only one who didn't appear to be fuming.

He shook his head, and luckily, Piper didn't pressure him to tell her what was going on.

He didn't need anyone else on his case.

Despite Leo's best efforts, the atmosphere at lunch was fraught with unease. The others easily caught on to the trio who had been on watch being the origin of this odd mood.

They left plenty of lulls in the conversation for any of the trio to confess to what was going on, but Calypso and Nico took their promise one step further and didn't speak at all, leaving Leo to go full jokester mood, making puns and regaling them with funny stories.

Clearly no one was buying it, but Leo refused to let that deter him. The more he rambled, the less likely it was that one of the other two would give in to the pressure and spill the beans.

At the end of lunch, Leo was desperate to escape to the engine room, or even to the stables to check on the Parthenos again, but if Nico or Calypso really wanted to confront him again then they would be the first places that they would check.

So instead Leo made his way to the training room.

He remembered that the last time he had been in here had been after the incident with Percy and when Nico had found him almost dying from poison.

He always seemed to come here when he was in emotional turmoil and didn't want to be found.

Instead of fight training, Leo decided to try out some free running tricks again.

As he flipped, he came to a sudden realisation.

Nico had found him here once before. This would probably be the third or fourth place that Nico would search for him.

Yet Leo had come here anyway. Did he subconsciously want Nico to find him?

A pang in his chest told him that, yes, he did want his friend to find him.

Ever since he had befriended Nico, the boys had been virtually inseparable. Sure, there had been the stupid fight, but other than that they had hung out near constantly for weeks.

And Leo was still thinking about ways to keep both Hazel and Nico alive, and that involved actually talking to Nico.

He snorted as he pulled of a back handspring. He understood that he was being hypocritical, determined to help the others survive but fine with letting himself die for the cause.

He stopped when he heard sarcastic clapping from the door. He turned around to face Nico.

Nico was glaring at him from the doorway.

"Happy? Me and Calypso said nothing to the others about your prophecy." His voice held many layers of frustration, and Leo rolled his eyes.

"I have told them about what you told me." Nico seemed to deflate at this, and he shuffled into the room, sitting a fair distance away from Leo.

"At least you aren't doing this whilst fatally wounded this time." Nico said eventually and Leo snickered.

He went to sit next to Nico, but Nico simply waved for him to continue with his routine.

Leo shrugged and continued with some flips and tricks from his free running days, Nico watching him intently.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico watched in awe as Leo weaved his way around the room through a series of front flips, back flips, handsprings and cartwheels.

He knew that the other boy had been capable of some of these moves as he had seen some of them himself, but it hadn't been as impressive as Leo had been hindered by the gaping wound that he had been sporting.

Now Leo was all elegant flips and perfect landings. The demigod was truly a sight to behold and Nico wondered why the Latino didn't do amazing stunts like this more often.

And Nico definitely never focused on the way Leo's stomach was revealed in random flashes when his shirt rode up or how his muscles occasionally rippled when pulling off a particularly complicated flip.

It was bad enough having a crush Percy, he didn't need to be attracted to another one of his friends who already had a girlfriend.

* * *

So now both boys have death prophecies hanging over their heads. And no one knows except Calypso, who only knows about Leo's. This was going to be fun.


	23. Chapter 23

I'm really sorry that this is so late, but I got kind of distracted and didn't end up writing it. I'll try to be better in the future, but I'm thinking of limiting the updates to once a week so that I can spend more time on each chapter and make it the best that it can be. So, I'm sorry for the inconvenience and I'll probably be updating once a week from now on. Thanks for any faves or follows and also to Chromatophobe my beta.

Guest : Here you go :)

Mondmaedchen : For now at least.

Neon Wish Likes Peach Trees : Teehee.

HowlingRain : Thank you.

WhiteWinterStar : Oh the tension will definitely lead to some interesting moments :) And I have a plan for what is going to happen with the Parthenos.

Kris Awesomeness : You don't have to apologise, I appreciated all of them. And his reaction to Will will be a great thing to write.

ObsessedwReading : I'm still trying to decide whether or not I'm going to have them find out about the oath.

Creampuffs-and-fluff : Thank you, and it makes me really happy to hear that you think my stories are good enough to be canon. I love the series, but I always felt like certain characters (e.g. Leo and Nico) were a little bit neglected so I'm glad that you think my stories provide the series with a little extra.

Guest : Thanks, and I'm glad that you are enjoying this story and looking forward to its sequel.

Disclaimer : I think you've all got the gist of it by now, HOH is not mine and unfortunately that means I don't own Leo either.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo fretted. Outside he looked enthralled with the engines, but inside he was in complete and utter turmoil.

His nerves had been frayed for a couple of days, he was just waiting for either Calypso or Nico to crack and tell everyone about his oath.

They hadn't yet, but Leo was still wary. And now, Nico was off with Hazel and Frank to try and deliver that stupid book to its owner in a city filled with creepy monsters.

Leo was fed up of everything. He was fed up of worrying about his friends, of fearing for his own life, of not being able to kiss his girlfriend and of not being able to **get this bloody bolt into the right place.**

With a sudden jerk, the bolt broke in his hands, and Leo rested his head against the engine, trying to steady his breathing and calm down.

When he felt adequately soothed, he pulled a replacement bolt out of his tool belt. This time, the bolt slid into place with ease, and Leo sat back on his heels.

He wiped the grime and sweat off of his forehead with his arm before he stood up. If he stayed here any longer then he would probably end up doing irreparable damage to the engines.

He also didn't want to deal with the inevitable argument that he would be having with Calypso in about ten minutes. She always cornered him in the engine room and tried to persuade him to confess to the others. It was tiring, and Leo was seriously regretting the fact that Calypso had found out about the stupid oath.

Leo just wanted to spend some relaxing time with her, but every time they were together she gave him that haunted look that was really starting to creep him out and then she'd give a huge spiel on trusting his friends.

Sure, Leo trusted his friends, but he knew that they would try and stop him if he attempted the ultimate sacrifice. That was something that Leo couldn't afford.

He popped his aching shoulders and made his way over to his secret crawl space. He slipped inside the wall of the engine room, and a sense of serenity took over him. This ship was a part of him, and he was a part of it. Being in the walls always gave him a sense of comfort. Not only did he feel at one with his ship, it also reminded him of the feeling that he used to get on the streets when he had found a secure place to sleep. He had felt as if nothing could harm him, like he was completely safe. It was nice to invoke that sensation again.

His hands settled into a familiar rhythm as he hastened to complete his private project, a project that he was certain would become essential in the coming days.

"Leo?" Leo just managed to avoid bashing his head on the top of the crawlspace when the voice of his girlfriend echoed across the engine room.

He wiggled his way out slowly, quietly praying that he could slip out of the crawlspace and the room without his girlfriend noticing him.

The first part of this was accomplished, but he stumbled and Calypso noticed him, rushing over to help him up, forgetting momentarily that she couldn't actually do anything to help him.

Leo scrambled up, and he noticed with a wince that Calypso was obviously trying to puzzle out what Leo had been doing back there.

"Just performing some common maintenance. Anyway, what's up?" He crossed his fingers in the hopes that there wouldn't be another fight over his oath.

"The others are back." Leo straightened up at this, and smiled in relief.

"Well let's go and find out what's up then." He bounded out of the room, not noticing the way Calypso observed the area where he had hidden his crawlspace with keen eyes before following him.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was certain that he would never eat corn or corn related products again. His eyes kept darting between Frank and his sister.

Frank's new transformation was shocking to say the least. Nico didn't think that he'd be getting used to the way the boy now completely towered over him. He couldn't wait to see Leo's face when the transformation was revealed to him.

Luckily his sister looked fine, even good considering the fact that she had almost died from poisoning just a short while ago.

Nico was weary and all he really wanted to do right now was curl up and sleep but he knew that they had to inform the others of what had happened and his sister definitely wasn't in a state to recount what had gone on, so it was up to him and Frank.

Frank didn't look too steady himself if Nico was honest. Slaughtering all of those monsters really seemed to have taken a toll on the older boy and Nico was admittedly worried.

Yet Frank was the only one conscious for most of the incident so he'd be explaining the most.

They approached the ship, exhaustion evident on all three of their faces. None of them were looking forward to telling the tale to their friends who could be seen waiting anxiously for them on the deck.

Nico stood back for a moment before boarding the ship. He tried to gage everyone's mood from their posture or their expression.

Frank was clearly shell-shocked. He was clutching Hazel's hand desperately, as if she was an anchor to reality.

Hazel was looking a lot better, but she still seemed fit to keel over and concern lingered in her eyes when she glanced at her boyfriend.

Everyone else except for Leo and Calypso just looked worried in general.

Many emotions were playing out over Leo's face, and Calypso seemed to be categorising every one of them. The emotions ranged from fear to sadness to suspicion to exhaustion to mildly subdued anger.

Then, Leo's eyes alighted upon Nico and he forced a smile that Nico could easily see through.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" Nico smirked, and Leo's eyebrows raised. His eyes began to twinkle.

"Permission granted." He smiled graciously, as if he was doing Nico a massive favour letting him onboard the ship.

Nico was glad to have removed some of that torment from his friend's tanned face. They clambered aboard and Leo swaggered up to them.

"Ahoy there me maties. Are ye ready for an exciting voyage out onto the high seas?" He grinned widely, helping them up in a way that was deceptively gentle. He did have to pause when he got to Frank, but evidently he noticed the distraught look in the older boy's eyes as he simply patted him on the back and pulled him up.

Once everyone was aboard, they all made their way to the dining room so that they could be filled in on this latest development.

Frank told the majority of the story but Nico and Hazel pitched in where they could. Nico noticed the way Leo checked over them whenever it was mentioned that they had been in danger.

After the others had been filled in, everyone sat back to digest the information that they had just been given.

Leo whistled.

"Are all Gods slightly unhinged or...?" Plenty of dirty glares were thrown Leo's way, not least from his goddess girlfriend.

"Do you have a death wish?" Piper sounded outraged, but Nico felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over his head. Calypso looked to be in a similar way and her form flickered worryingly.

Leo's oath...

The Latino in question shot them evil eye stares, but Nico still couldn't help shivering slightly.

Hazel grabbed his hand comfortingly.

"I may be crazy but I don't have a death wish. The Gods aren't meant to be paying attention to our quest at all." Jason rolled his eyes.

"It still isn't a good idea to draw their wrath." Leo laughed.

"I think that I've already drawn everybody's wrath." He stood up and gave a parting smile.

"Well I have a ship to steer so I'm just going to head up on deck." Nico rose as well and was about to volunteer his services as a lookout, but Hazel gripped his wrist.

"Nico, I think you need to get some rest." Nico really didn't want to attempt to fall asleep, fighting off nightmares was never fun, but he didn't want to worry his sister so he nodded in agreement.

The demigods all filed out and set off to do whatever they had to.

Nico headed off to his room and hoped that he could at least catch an hour of nightmare-less slumber.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo gripped the wheel tightly and stared off at the Adriatic Sea.

Did he have a death wish?

Well that was the question of his life. Throughout most of his childhood and teen years, Leo had survived by playing jester for scary, dangerous people. Many people had called him suicidal for that, but Leo knew that it had been self-preservation. If the bad guys think you are funny then you will have some form of protection.

And then he had found out that he was a demigod and unfortunately most monsters wouldn't pal up with you if you told them a few jokes. Yet Leo had kept his humour up as his own self defence mechanism. Things didn't seem as bad if a few jokes were thrown in.

He still had the habit of taunting his enemies with jokes as well, after all he made fun of Gaia often enough. This could be considered a death wish.

And his secret plan, the plan that he would be holding close to his heart for now would most definitely be classified as a death wish.

Leo sighed, resting his chin against his palm which was propped up by the sound board. He thought of everything he had to live for, his friends, his siblings and all the exciting things that the world had to offer.

He came to a conclusion.

Leo Valdez did not want to die, but if his death would preserve the things and people that he loved then his life would be given as forfeit. And he would be content with dying if he knew that it would bring down the monster who had robbed him of his mother.

With this decision firmly planted in his head, Leo stood up straighter. He knew what he had to do and he would do it so that none of his friends would have to. Leo would be the sacrifice.

So, once again, I'm really sorry that this is so late and I'll only be updating TSATF on weekends from now on. Thank you all for being patient and I'll see you all next time.


	24. Chapter 24

Hello everybody :) Here is the next chapter of TSATF. I'm going to alter a little something in the books, it isn't really a huge plot point but it suits my story better to alter it. Thank you to everyone who faved or followed, and a huge thank you to my wonderful beta Chromatophobe.

WhiteWinterStar : Yep, Leo can be a mature badass when he wants to be.

Gavroche Is Life Itself : Thanks for telling me, I'm used to seeing your name and it's nice to know that you haven't just disappeared. I like remembering my reviewers :)

GracePine11 : Nope, it's Caleo but its sequel will be Leico.

The funky she-wolf 33415 : he's made his choice.

Mondmaedchen : Is it fun in Italy? And it's good that you have internet, but bad that you don't have a computer. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter though.

Kris Awesomeness : Once he makes up his mind about something, he can be very determined.

HowlingRain : I always laugh at the weird things that have happened to the demigods over the series. Nico becoming corn is definitely one of my favourites though. I'm happy that you were looking forwards to this chapter :)

Disclaimer : I do not own the demigods, their, world or their Gods. This saddens me.

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Nico's P.O.V

They had been attacked. By a turtle. A humongous turtle, granted, but still. Nico couldn't help wishing that they had at least one normal enemy. He couldn't help but be amazed by the fact that a rogue son of Poseidon had used a turtle to attack them. Plus, the monster turtle had done some serious damage to the ship, and Nico was almost certain that Leo was going to cry when he saw the true extent of the damage.

And Hazel had told them that their father had visited her. Nico couldn't help feeling a little jealous despite all the time he had spent with his father in the past.

After all, he had only recently from Tartarus and Hades hadn't bothered to visit him. He knew that he shouldn't resent the fact that their father had visited his sister, but he still couldn't help feeling a little bit disheartened at the fact that Pluto didn't even stick around for a moment to convey a message to Nico from his Greek counterpart.

Part of what Hazel told him disturbed him as well.

Apparently Pluto had informed her that something about Calypso's current state was incredibly unnatural. He hadn't said what, but as Nico had been having bad feelings about this since she had been arrived, Nico wondered what exactly was going on with the Goddess.

He would have talked to Leo about it, but the other boy had enough on his shoulders, especially with the damage to the ship.

Plus, Leo had a certain look in his eyes lately that worried Nico greatly. It was as if Leo had resigned himself to something, and as the boy who had convinced Nico to defy destiny, this wasn't a good sign.

He would confront Calypso about it, but he didn't really know how a conversation like that would go.

He couldn't just walk up to her and say "hey, both my dad and I get really funny vibes from you, what are you exactly?" That would not go down well.

It was morning, the day after Sciron's attack, and Nico was heading up to the deck to get some fresh air and to think over his problems. This idea was thrown out the window when he was joined by the other demigods, except for Jason who was meant to be keeping watch.

They made it on deck just in time to see Jason almost slam into the ocean.

Piper screamed "Wake up!" with so much force that Nico felt he'd never sleep again and the power wasn't even directed towards him.

Jason managed to save himself last second, much to all of their relief. As soon as he got back on deck, he pulled Leo aside. Nico wondered what he was saying as Leo just grinned and went to adjust their course.

Jason then called a meeting in the dining room.

The son of Jupiter was even more jittery than Leo, and that said something considering the Latino's disposition.

They ate dinner as Jason filled them in on everything that he had seen in his dream. Nico couldn't stop the flutter in is stomach when Jason brought up Percy. It was good to know that their two companions stuck in Tartarus were still fighting.

Then Jason mentioned Croatia and Leo bantered with Frank for a bit about the name of the town.

Nico almost laughed at the way Leo mocked Jason, but then he realised that if a spirit was to be called, he'd have to be the one to do it. He would be stuck on a quest alone with Jason.

And then Leo was raising his hand.

"I'll come with." Jason gave Leo a weird look.

"Don't you have repairs?" Leo's smile turned sheepish.

"I couldn't sleep." This was enough of an explanation for all of the demigods who acknowledged Leo's habit to work when he couldn't sleep.

"Three is the best number for demigod quests. And although Diocletian might spook with some demigods, he should be fine with a son of Jupiter, a son of Hades and a son Hephaestus, if that son of Hephaestus isn't too loud." he gave Leo a stern look here, making sure that his friend knew that this was a condition of him being allowed to come. Leo zipped his lips playfully, and Nico turned to Jason to see if he had any objections.

The son of Jupiter sighed.

"Come on guys, we have a ghost to find."

Leo's P.O.V

Leo thought the quest hadn't been going so badly until they had ended up fighting love. Leo had always envisioned Cupid as sort of harmless, a bumbling nappy clad baby faced fool who flew around sticking arrows in people to make them love someone else.

Leo was beginning to see just how dangerous Cupid really was. They were all getting smacked around a bit, but Cupid seemed to be homing in on him and Nico.

The God was definitely playing with them, toying with them as if their existence was purely to play with them.

And then Leo felt a ghostly breath waft over his ear.

"_I think I'll start with you first." _It whispered breathily, and Leo was startled to find an arrow suddenly protruding from his chest. He could hear his friends screaming for him, but the arrow simply dissolved. It stung an all, but it seemed to do no lasting damage. But then Leo realised why Cupid would be targeting him and Nico. He blanched, throwing a glance to Jason.

"_Leo Valdez, you have fell in out of love an admirable amount of times. Why don't you confess to the love you've felt?"_ Leo gritted his teeth and battled down his flames as the attempted to break out of him and consume him.

How dare this presumptuous God demand that he tell Jason that he's bi! The God kept spewing love crap, and Leo was getting angrier and angrier as Cupid taunted him more and more.

"_I won't let you go without a confession." _Leo froze at this. he looked at Nico who looked as if he had been bleached of all colour.

Jason was Leo's best friend, surely it would be alright if Leo confessed to being bi. And that confession was surely better than Nico being forced to admit his feelings for Percy for this cruel God's pleasure.

Leo took the deepest breath he could.

"I'mbiwhichmeansI'vehadcrushesonboysbefore." He blurted out, his words tumbling over each other as they attempted to escape. He heard Cupid chuckle.

"_You'll have to say it a little clearer." _The God demanded, and Leo flushed as his eyes met Jason's.

"I'm bi. I've had crushes on boys before." He was proud of how steady his voice remained during this confession. Jason's eyes widened as he stared at Leo. Cupid's laughter rang around the room.

"_Well Leo Valdez and Jason Grace can leave. It's up to you now Nico Di Angelo." _Leo's fire flared up again.

"Wait, I confessed!"

"_A confession is required from all of you. Jason easily accepts his love. You have just earned your passage with this confession. And now Nico must confess to earn you the sceptre." _

Cupid started taunting Nico in earnest then. Darkness rolled off of the son of Hades in waves.

Leo almost collapsed when they hit him. He could tell instantly that they were filled with Nico's negative emotions produced by a love that he thought was wrong, shameful, fearful, something to be hated.

Leo shook as he saw some of Nico's memories, and his fear for his friend got worse when he noticed that Jason had obviously seen the memories as well.

Leo just felt sicker and sicker, helpless as Nico began his broken confession.

He heard Jason claim to understand, and Nico's retort that he didn't.

And Leo began to feel a hatred for Cupid that was almost as strong as his hatred of Gaia., especially when Nico's shadows disappeared along with his apparent will to fight.

Cupid appeared and Leo lunged towards him. Jason held him back, and although Leo knew that Jason was looking out for him, he felt like punching him as well.

"I had a crush on Percy Jackson!" The words were equal parts venom and equal parts defeat, and Leo whimpered in sympathy. His secret of being bi was no where near as destructive to his mental well-being as Nico's secret crush on Percy.

Leo was stuck in his own head as Cupid disappeared and Jason talked to Nico. He snapped back into reality however when he realised that Nico was actually getting teary eyed.

He staggered over and hugged his friend tightly. Then he felt another pair of arms wrapping around the both of them.

"I accept you both, you know?" Jason's voice was calm, and Leo was incredibly grateful that his friend was going to rat out either him or Nico.

Nico still looked downhearted when they all drew away though.

Leo turned to Jason.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, I just..." Leo's sentence was caught off as Jason pulled him in for another hug.

"It's fine Leo. Though I really wish you would stop keeping secrets like this to yourself, we want to help you." Leo flinched at this, remembering a secret that was way to bad for him to confess. There was no way that Jason would accept Leo's resolution.

As Leo was released from the hug, he reached out to tug Nico off of the ground where he had slumped in a miserable daze.

Jason looked them both in the eyes.

"I've seen a lot of brave things happen, but that was one of the bravest things I have ever seen." Nico sniffled, and Leo felt his own eyes get a little wetter.

Leo decided that it was about time that he cheered them all up.

"So do we have to book tickets in advance to fly Jason Air, or can we buy them whenever." Jason grinned and lightly hit him in the back of the head. Even Nico smiled slightly, though Leo could tell that he was still shook up over the days events.

As soon as they got back to the ship, Leo was going to get Nico on his own and make sure that he was really okay.

After all, Nico had been forced out of the closet by a demented God to someone who he wasn't that close to and also forced to confess his crush on their straight, mutual friend who was in a relationship that was so sickeningly perfect Leo felt like going to the dentist just looking at them. Leo wondered how long it would take for Nico to fully recover from this.

Because Leo would hopefully be there every step of the way.

* * *

So Jason now knows that Nico is gay and that Leo is bi. So will the relationship between all three of them get closer? See you next time.


	25. Chapter 25

Guys, I am so sorry for this delay. I wish that I had an excuse, but truthfully I just couldn't find the energy to write. I will be trying to write more this month but I have just restarted college so I can't make any promises. A quick warning as well, this chapter may have some relatively dark moments so be careful if you are particularly sensitive.

My amazingly patient beta, Chromatophobe, has asked me to put this comment here:

"It's not Valdangelo/Leco – it's Calypso/Leo while exploring Nico's developing sexuality and feelings for those around him. The sequel (which I will also have the delightful pleasure of beta'ing) will be focusing on the Valdangelo aspect of this story. I won't say anymore because Mew will kill me. Enjoy this chapter!"

Swedish-psycho-bear: Thank you. And by the way, I just noticed your awesome profile picture, it's really cool.

Starstorm 10: I'm so sorry but this story isn't going to be a Valdangelo, but its sequel will be so if you really want to see the boys together then hold out till that.

Kris Awesomenes: I know, Cupid is a horrible character and I hate what he did to Nico.

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees: I'm so glad that someone enjoyed that joke. It made me giggle. I would love to book a ticket from Air Jason.

Mondmaedchen: Thank you, I was trying to help develop the boy's relationship a little bit more, but also add Jason in. And I cannot deal with heat so I would not be able to survive in Italy. You should channel your inner Leo to try and get through it. And I definitely wouldn't be able to live without Wi-Fi unless I had my books or DS with me.

Senna Bluefire: Thank you, though I am sorry for the wait.

LONG LIVE BOOKS: Thanks, I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story so far.

ObsessedwReading: Thank you. And they won't be reunited with him in this fanfiction but they will in the sequel as I was so upset that Riordan didn't show Leo's return.

Heartring123 : Thank you, I'm honoured to be one of your favourite fanfictioners.

Disclaimer: If I owned HOH then Leo would have come back in a blaze of glory.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico had respectfully declined flying by "Air Jason" as Leo called it. He just wanted to get back to the ship as quickly as possible, and his shadow travel would get them there faster than Jason's flying.

As soon as his feet were on the deck of the Argo, Nico had lashed the sceptre at whoever was closest and fled to his room. He couldn't bear holding the stupid thing any longer; after all, he had given up his darkest secret to obtain it.

He knew that this probably looked incredibly suspicious, but he couldn't stand the pitying looks that he would more than likely be receiving from Jason.

Nico had never felt this angry at a God before, and considering all that he had been through that was really saying something.

Cupid had no right to force him out of the closet, and no right to do the same to Leo.

He hoped that Jason could be trusted to keep this information secret. Leo seemed to think that the son of Jupiter would hold true on his promise to keep their sexualities a secret, so Nico was inclined to believe that he wouldn't tell, but there was still that niggling doubt and the lingering fear that the other demigods would find out and reject him. Jason's girlfriend was a daughter of Aphrodite after all, and all though Nico didn't want to stereotype her, most children of the love goddess couldn't resist meddling in affairs of the heart. If she got wind of this then Nico would never fit in with the crew.

He had never exactly felt like he belonged with the other demigods anyway, not only because of his parentage and the fact that he was quite literally a boy out of time, but also due to the fact that his sexuality weighed down on him. It was his dirty little secret, something that he probably would have never been comfortable admitting if it hadn't been for Leo.

Leo was one of the only demigods that Nico could stand, and that could stand him in turn despite his oddities.

Nico had felt like some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he told Leo, but that still didn't prepare him for being forcibly ousted by a bizarre diaper-wearing God who was probably the most obnoxious being that Nico had ever encountered, especially as he didn't know Jason very well and he now had to entrust him with his most damning secret.

Nico was dragged out of his thoughts by a hesitant knock on his door.

"Nico, can I come in?" His sister's concerned voice reached him despite the fact that he was lying on his bed with his pillow covering his face.

He quickly sat up and placed the pillow back where it belonged before calling out that she could come in.

He wasn't really sure how to speak with his sister right now – he didn't want to reveal anything too incriminating, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to just ignore her.

Hazel entered and quietly sat on the bed beside Nico. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"What's wrong, Nico?" He shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it." Hazel's worried eyes met his, the light shimmering in the golden orbs.

"Are you sure? Because if you need to talk then I'm here for you Nico, I'll listen if you want me to. I don't like it when you're sad." Nico was half tempted to point out that he was almost always sad, but then a familiar tanned face popped into his mind. Leo had been cheering him up for quite a while so it wasn't exactly an accurate statement anymore to say that he was always sad.

And although Nico did want to talk, he couldn't bring himself to confess about these problems to his sister. She was some of the only family that he had left, especially as it wasn't very likely that Hades would keep visiting him.

Hazel sighed and squeezed his hand again before standing up.

"Well if you need me then I'm sure that you can find me." She went to leave and almost bumped into Leo who tried to enter at the exact moment that Hazel tried to leave.

They exchanged apologies and, after a brief knowing glance, Hazel headed off. Nico lay back down and closed his eyes wearily.

"So am I allowed in or must I stand outside?" Leo's voice was teasing, and Nico raised a hand and beckoned him in.

He felt rather than saw the slight dip in his bed as Leo sat down.

"So, have you told Hazel anything?" Leo's voice held no judgement, but Nico still felt ashamed when he shook his head. He knew that he should tell his sister, but he didn't want to lose her.

"Nico, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to." Nico opened his eyes. Leo's eyes held a look of complete understanding.

"I feel guilty not telling her." Nico sounded pitiful even to his own ears and he despised it, but Leo wouldn't judge him.

"After what we just went through, I can definitely understand not wanting to tell anybody else. I mean, if I ever see a picture of Cupid then I might just scream. I'll never be able to celebrate Valentine's Day again. But I want you to know that you can trust the people on this boat. After all, we're all putting our lives in each other's hands." Leo flopped back onto the bed, almost squishing Nico in the process.

"I don't want Percy to ever find out." Nico loathed the fact that tears were starting to escape from his eyes. His statement sounded stupid and childish, yet he couldn't stop himself from blurting it out.

"Dude, I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear. And I trust Jason, he won't tell anyone either. Promise." Leo's tone was reassuring, but the tears were still slipping down Nico's cheeks.

"I hate this! I hate feeling like this!" All the negative emotions that Nico had thought he had dispelled - on the evening were both he and Leo had first confessed their sexualities - had been dragged painfully to the forefront of his mind by Cupid. He could remember the disgust and sheer terror that he had felt the first time that he had acknowledged another boy's attractiveness. The fury and despair that came with falling for someone like Percy, someone who was not only way beyond him, but who was also in a loving relationship already.

"I hate myself." Nico hissed bitterly under his breath. He didn't expect Leo to hear that, or to comment on it. He certainly didn't expect to be wrenched into a hug that was so intense that it almost hurt.

He could still see Leo's eyes which were glimmering with pained tears.

"Do you think," the Latino's voice was shaky, and he had to pause and take a breath before continuing his sentence "that I've never felt that way before?" Nico pulled back, eyes wide.

The amount of self-loathing in Leo's voice had been scary. Nico had learned that Leo wasn't always as happy as he seemed, but he had never realised that he hated himself. It was a startling revelation.

"Why?" His voice was shaky and weak. Leo laughed bitterly, and it felt like a knife in Nico's heart.

"Why? Because I'm a murderer. Because I'm a screw up. Because I can never do anything right. I'm the weak link of the team." Nico's hand had whipped out before he was even aware of his desire to slap Leo.

Leo kept his head facing away, dark curls covering his eyes. Another low chuckle escaped from his mouth, and then his angry eyes met Nico's.

"You think that you hate yourself? I've always hated myself. I was always the freak, the twisted little boy who locked his own mother in a burning warehouse. Even on this boat, where I thought that I would finally be respected, I still messed up. I made Hazel uncomfortable, annoyed Frank pretty much instantly, made Annabeth trust me less than someone she had met mere minutes ago and gave Percy pretty much the worst first impression of me ever." Leo's chest was heaving with barely restrained emotion. Tiny bursts of flame were laced through his hair and Nico was genuinely worried. He'd thought that Leo had gotten past some of these issues, but apparently he was still hurting.

"I'm allowed to hate myself because of everything I've done. But you say that you hate yourself for things that you can't change, for things that you shouldn't have to change. And it's wrong! You are amazing and if anyone is too stupid to see that then you shouldn't have to deal with them." Nico's fists clenched.

"It's not just because of who I am; do you think that I've never done anything stupid? I've messed up before as well. I betrayed Percy at one point." Leo gave him a surprised look, the darkness in his eyes still present.

"I once gave him up to Hades to try and get information about my past." Leo snorted, and Nico glared at him.

"Did you think that Hades was going to hurt him?" Nico blushed, knowing that Leo would probably dismiss this incident as it wasn't life threatening.

"I constantly said that I hated him and that I blamed him for my sister's death."

"You were grieving, that doesn't really count…"

"NO! It does still count. Just because I had an excuse for saying it doesn't mean that it was okay. And most of the things that you have done shouldn't count either! The Eidolons were controlling you when you attacked Camp Jupiter. And you can't be blamed for looking like one of your relatives that would just be ridiculous. Plus, Frank's learned by now that you're trustworthy; he isn't terrified of you anymore." Leo shook his head.

"I've done other stupid things in the past, other dangerous things. I'm a nuisance to everybody who tries to take me in, hell; I even got close to blowing up Camp Half Blood!" Nico had no idea what he meant by that, but he didn't want to prod too hard. Leo looked close to snapping, and Nico was frightened by the thought of Leo breaking down in front of him.

"Leo, whatever you did in the past can't be too horrible. If it was, the Gods would have punished you." Nico hoped that this would reassure his friend, but Leo looked even sadder.

"I've lost pretty much everybody that I've ever cared about in some way. I always run, no matter what happens, because I'm too weak to stay. The Gods don't have to punish me Nico. I know how to punish myself." Nico wasn't surprised to find that his own cheeks were now drenched in tears.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo could feel himself trembling as he tried to restrain himself. Nico had been through enough crap of his own, he didn't need Leo to foist his own stupid problems onto him. He turned away from the now crying son of Hades.

"I'm sorry, I came here to comfort you and I've just made it worse. I'll leave." He stood up, but Nico latched onto his arm.

"After everything that you've just said, do you honestly think that I'm going to let you just walk away?" Leo's head drooped. Yes, he had been hoping that Nico would just let him walk away because Leo knew that if he stayed he might start telling Nico things that he's really regret.

"I think that would be for the best." Nico's grip tightened.

"I disagree." His words were ice, and Leo felt himself being dragged back into a sitting position on the bed. He couldn't find the determination within him to fight back, and he knew that he was screwed.

"Please." His last desperate plea was ignored.

"Maybe you should stop punishing yourself. Leo, you're a good person. You're kind and funny and you somehow manage to make even me smile which takes a lot. You've been punishing yourself and you don't deserve it." Leo couldn't believe his friend. If he was such a good person like Nico said, why had he lost so many people that he cared about? He voiced this concern to Nico, who suddenly engulfed him in a hug.

"Because the world likes to hurt good people. Monsters especially enjoy attacking the people who are the best." Leo sniffled wetly.

"Maybe that's why you've suffered so much." He said, and felt Nico's body stiffen, tension strumming between the younger boy's shoulders.

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly a good person." Nico countered. Leo stifled a laugh, knowing that it would be totally insensitive and out of place in this situation.

"Nico, you're one of the best people that I know." It was Nico's turn to make a noise of disbelief.

"Seriously, you help out on this quest even though you don't have to. You stayed despite the fact that seeing Percy and Annabeth together must have been really painful for you. You are such a good brother to Hazel despite the fact you're only half siblings, and you put up with me and my insufferable personality."

"I thought that you worked hard to get to that level of insufferable?" Leo's head whipped round to see Jason standing awkwardly in the doorway. Nico shifted and wiped his eyes roughly, whilst Leo blushed.

"Ah, Jason, what are you doing here?" Leo aimed for nonchalant, but the fact that his face was sticky with tears was probably ruining his attempt at calm.

"I was going to see if you and Nico were okay. Hazel told me that you had come down here, and I thought it would be easiest if I just talked to you together." Leo gulped. It was bad enough that he had spilled all that crap to Nico, he couldn't let Jason find out. He shot Nico a quick "help" face, hoping that his friend caught on to his plight.

Apparently Nico had as he swiftly tried to steer the conversation away from what they had been discussing before Jason's entrance.

"He didn't work hard to reach that level; he works hard to maintain it. He was probably born with the ability to annoy." Leo shoved him playfully; understanding that going along with this topic of conversation would probably throw Jason off and stop him from prying.

"He also works hard to pretend that he's okay despite all evidence pointing to the contrary." Jason's voice was deadly serious, and Leo froze. Nico looked as if he was going to snap at Jason, to stick up for Leo again, but Leo placed an unsteady hand on his shoulder. The younger demigod shot a confused look at him, but Leo simply shook his head. If Nico got angry at Jason then this situation would spiral out of control. Hopefully Leo could minimise the damage right now.

"Look, that wasn't exactly how I pictured this quest going – that certainly wasn't how I pictured Cupid! But we got the sceptre and we got back alive. Let's just forget about it." Leo mentally winced. That wasn't as funny as he had aimed for, and Jason was more than likely going to be even more suspicious after that.

"I don't want to forget about it." Nico actually growled a little bit when Jason said that. Even Leo was amazed at how stupid that sounded. Jason hastily backtracked, obviously realising his mistake.

"Not because it's a good memory or anything! It's just... it felt nice to get to know you two a little better. I mean, Leo, after all we've been through you've hardly told me anything about your past. And I know even less about you Nico." Leo's hands fisted into Nico's duvet. He remembered letting slip the fact that he had slept in sewers before and how Jason and Piper had just shrugged it off. Jason was one of his best friends, but sometimes he was just a little too wrapped up in Piper to see anyone else. Maybe that was why Leo had been finding it easier to hang out with Nico lately – the son of Hades always listened. And when Leo had mentioned cooking on the streets back when they had their midnight picnic, Nico had seemed pretty concerned.

"It's nice that you enjoyed the forced bonding Superman, but it really is best if we just forget about it." Jason raised an eyebrow, and then his gaze turned pensive.

"If you guys are seriously okay then I'll leave." For some reason, Jason seemed a lot more willing to let it go now. Leo couldn't fathom why the change had occurred, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Well, actually, he was, but at this point he just wanted Jason to leave so that he wouldn't find out all of Leo and Nico's secrets.

"We're fine." Nico folded his arms and crossed his legs. Jason nodded, still with that pensive look on his face. He then smiled softly, intuitively. The son of Jupiter ducked out of the room, leaving behind two befuddled demigods.

"Why do you think he was looking at us like that?" Nico shrugged at Leo's question and settled into a slightly more relaxed position. Leo saw an opportunity.

"Well I guess that I better be going now, see you Nico." Nico's face was not amused.

"Sit." Leo knew that he had been rumbled.

"We still have to finish our conversation from earlier. You can be an annoying brat when you want to be, but if you were insufferable then one of us would have tossed you off the deck by now." Leo smirked.

"I'd like to see you try and maintain the ship if you did." Nico smiled, but that swiftly morphed into a frown.

"You're really good at deflecting things with humour. Why is your instinct always to either laugh things off or run?" Those words stung, and Leo prickled with anger.

"I've spent my entire life running. Sometimes it's the best solution, and humour is a good way to keep you safe. If people are laughing with or even at you then they're not beating you up. I've found that I much prefer to be laughed at then to be attacked." Nico's expression was dangerously close to pity and Leo couldn't take it.

"Stop looking at me like that!" He snapped, feeling his temperature rise. Nico sighed.

"In a way I've spent a lot of time running away from my problems as well. Guess that makes me a hypocrite." Leo tried to suppress his curiosity, but he was never very good at holding back once he was intrigued. This was probably a sensitive subject for Nico, but as he had been nosing into all of Leo's business, Leo felt sort of justified in pressing the matter. He was also trying to battle down his own mess of feelings and Nico's explanation would hopefully give him time to cool down.

"What were you running from?" Instead of answering, Nico pulled his legs up to his chest in an oddly childish manner.

"My feelings, I guess. Loving Percy… it isn't easy when the stupid oaf goes around being all heroic. Plus, I've never really fit in with the other demigods. It was okay for a little while after the big battle, but after that they all became wary of me again. It was hard to stay somewhere where you feel completely isolated even when surrounded by people. And… I just kept imagining what it would be like if Bianca was still here. How I wouldn't be alone, and how she would probably be able to make friends with everyone and stop them being so wary of us." Nico's eyes held more sadness than any teenager's should. And Leo understood.

"You seem pretty capable of making friends to me. After all, you've got me. And Jason seems to be worried about you as well." Nico sighed.

"That's more pity probably. I was acting really pathetic." Leo glared at him.

"You weren't being pathetic. And none of us pity you, we respect you too much." Nico jolted at this, his brown eyes widening in shock.

"You're a hero Nico, whether you are part of the prophecy or not. And you'll always be a hero." Nico was crying softly, and Leo leant in for a hug.

"Even when I was working against Percy?" The voice was quiet, shaky, and Leo hugged him closer to his chest.

"One mistake doesn't change your nature." He uttered. It was then that he too burst into tears.

* * *

So here it is, very late but hopefully it was worth the long wait. I'll see you all next time.


	26. Chapter 26

Another long wait, but finally, here is the next chapter of The Skull and The Flame. Thank you to anyone who faved and followed. And thanks, as always, to my brilliant beta Chromatophobe.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you :)

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees: I'm glad that you think so. And nice jokes, they made me giggle. Here's one for you (you've probably heard it before, but oh well). Why didn't the ghost go to the dance? Because he had no-body to go with.

Bluecookiedough : Thanks, I'm glad that you like it.

Calefe : You're very welcome.

LONG LIVE BOOKS : I'm happy to hear that you think so.

HowlingRain : I find them difficult to write as well. I guess the trick is to just keep going at it and to try and put yourself in the character's shoes.

Kris Awesomeness : Nope, I can't wait to have them get together either.

Mondmaedchen : Thank you. It's really nice of you to say that. You are one of the reviewers who I really appreciate as well, I always see your name and it makes me smile.

XxTealJadexX : I'm sorry about the typos, I'm so focussed on trying to get the story done that I often make stupid mistakes. I'm glad that you're willing to read despite the errors.

As clever as Annabeth2001: I'm happy that you found it funny.

Disclaimer : HOH is still not my property. I am sadly not expecting this to change.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

It seemed as if they stayed there in that same position, sobbing for hours, but in reality it was only a fraction of that time.

After pulling apart, both boys took a moment to compose themselves.

Then Leo was staring at him, eyes still shimmering.

"Feeling any better?" Nico nodded.

"You?" Nico asked. Leo smiled half-heartedly.

"I guess."

As they took a moment to absorb all that had just transpired they heard Hazel calling them for dinner.

Leo stretched languidly and stood up. Something in the mood had shifted. Nico felt… lighter. Not everything had been fixed, but enough had been covered to make both boys feel better.

"Come on, we best not keep them waiting. Jason'll probably come back and carry us to the dining room." He held out a tanned hand to help pull Nico up.

As Leo turned to head out of the door, Nico stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you seriously okay?" Leo's smile dropped temporarily.

"No, and I expect you aren't, either. But I am better. And I can only hope that you actually are too." Nico nodded again bashfully and Leo's bright smile returned.

"Then let's go get some grub! There's nothing like a two person pity party for making you hungry." Nico rolled his eyes as Leo grabbed his arm and began yanking him towards the dining room where the others were probably already waiting.

Nico was right: the others were already seated – even Coach Hedge was present. His plate (the only one currently containing anything) was filled with cans and an enchilada or two.

As Leo bounded in - with Nico being pulled along - Nico became aware of the mixed expressions they were receiving.

Jason was smiling openly at them, Piper looked confused and both Hazel and Frank seemed worried (though, admittedly Hazel seemed a bit more fretful than the son of Mars).

Leo appeared completely unconcerned by all of these expressions, releasing Nico's arm and casually sauntering over to the table. Nico followed and sat in the chair next to his Latino friend. Jason was on Leo's other side with Piper next to him while Hazel, Frank and the Coach were all sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Good of you cupcakes to join us." Leo merely winked at the irate coach.

"So whose culinary delights are we sampling today?" Nico wondered why Leo hadn't just checked the schedule, though he wasn't one to judge as he hadn't thought to check either.

Frank sheepishly raised his hand. Leo groaned.

"Did you at least check to make sure that it was edible before declaring it finished?" Frank rose and glared at him.

"Hey, if you don't want to eat, then don't eat. I don't care." Frank went to the kitchen, leaving behind a second of silence before Leo's voice rang out, brimming with good-natured humour. Nico could still see the hurt on his face though.

"I knew that Frank could turn into a bear. I didn't know that he had the attitude of one." Hazel shot the son of Hephaestus a sad look before scurrying after her boyfriend to help with the food and no doubt to give him an earful about being a little too harsh.

Nico was annoyed with the shapeshifter. It had taken so much to cheer Leo up, and Frank had almost undone all of Nico's work with two sentences. By chance, his eyes met Jason's, and he could see similar emotions in the elder demigod's blue gaze, though his face also held bemusement.

After a few tense seconds that were filled with Leo toying with his cutlery, Piper and Jason apparently having a mental conversation, Coach gazing longingly at his can collection and Nico observing them all, Frank shuffled in with a plate of burgers. Hazel followed with a tray of chips. They headed around the table, giving each demigod a portion. Even Hedge got some chips, and Frank made sure to give Piper tofu burgers.

As they sat down, Frank cleared his throat hesitantly.

"Look Leo, I didn't mean to bite your head off. I was just... sort of in a bad mood."

"It's fine. Though if I get food poisoning..." The others tensed up, but Frank simply smirked.

"If you get sick then it isn't food poisoning, it's cyanide." Leo burst out laughing and the others soon joined in. Nico couldn't help laughing a bit himself – that answer had just been so unexpected.

With the mood now sufficiently relaxed, the demigods (and satyr) enjoyed their meal. They bantered back and forth, and even Nico joined in here and there.

"By the way, where's Calypso?" Nico felt a little guilty that he hadn't actually noticed the girl's absence until Leo had asked.

"Oh, she's up on the deck. She said that as she doesn't need to eat, she'll stand guard for a while."

"I guess I'll go and see how she is then." Leo stood up and walked away, pinching a chip from Nico's plate and popping it into his mouth whilst humming obnoxiously.

They all rolled their eyes in sync, except for Coach Hedge who was still chewing on a ravaged aluminium shard that had once been a coke can.

Suddenly, all eyes were on him. He wasn't used to so much attention, and he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

"What?" He hoped that hadn't sounded as harsh to them as it had to him. He then realised that Jason was now also receiving some strange attention, Piper and Frank were alternating their gaze between the two whilst Hazel's eyes remained solely trained on Nico.

"What's going on? What happened when you guys were out?" Nico shrunk back a little, but Jason's face remained neutral.

"Shouldn't you be asking this with Leo present?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow. Piper shook her head.

"He needs some time with Calypso." The daughter of Aphrodite's tone was fast approaching fangirl levels, so Nico sent Jason a desperate look to try and get him to derail his girlfriend before she spent an hour talking about her OTP (everyone on board the Argo understood that Piper shipped all of the couples with a frightening intensity).

"We got the sceptre, Pipes. Nothing else happened." Jason said, picking at his food.

"Are you sure? Because Nico and Leo spent a lot of time hiding in Nico's room..." Frank countered. His words sent a spark of indignation racing through Nico's veins.

"We weren't hiding! We are allowed to hang out you know!" He snapped. Frank held up his hands defensively.

"We're just worried Nico. But we understand if you don't want to talk about it." Hazel said, frowning in worry. Piper sent Hazel a look that seemed to say 'speak for yourself.' Nico relaxed slightly.

"You don't need to worry. Me and Leo sorted everything out." Nico said, trying to ignore the way Jason beamed at him when he said this. It was kind of creepy (if heart-warming) how Jason treated Leo like a little brother, and how this attitude now seemingly extended to Nico as well.

The others didn't look too convinced, but they apparently decided to let them off.

"YOU STILL KNOW MORE THAN I TELL MOST PEOPLE! WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING?" Everyone jumped as Leo's angry shouts filtered down from the deck. They all exchanged awkward looks, trying to decide whether or not they should go up and see what was going on, or whether they should just let the couple have their privacy.

Worry won out over respect for privacy as the tense shouts got somewhat quieter. They were still clearly shouting at each other, but Nico could no longer make out the distinct words.

Coach Hedge said that he was going to go watch wrestling; his job wasn't to sort out petty relationship problems. He sounded gruff and almost uncaring, but Nico could make out a glint of concern in the satyr's eyes.

When they got up to the deck, the scene before them was like a Mexican standoff.

Leo's hands were clenching and unclenching as little twists of fire grazed his knuckles. Calypso's hands were on her hips, hair whipping in the wind.

"I'm your girlfriend Leo, and I just want to help." Her voice was softer now, subdued, but Leo didn't look mollified.

"It's been sorted. I don't need your help." Calypso flinched back, as if she had been struck, and tears started to pool in her eyes.

"If you don't need my help then maybe I should just ask the Gods to return me to my island." She muttered something else, but Nico wasn't close enough to hear it.

The Titaness then raced past the others and hurried below deck, leaving Leo who was looking down at the deck.

"That was a bit harsh, Leo." Piper was obviously sticking up for her fellow female, something that Leo didn't seem to appreciate as his blazing eyes locked in on the brunette.

"Oh, of course it's entirely my fault. I'm sorry; I forgot that I can never be right." Sarcasm oozed from Leo's words. Although the boy sounded angry, Nico could see the turmoil in the fire wielder's eyes.

"Leo, I wasn't saying that. It's just-"

"-It's just nothing! Butt out!" Leo also stormed away. Nico sighed. He really hoped another therapy session wasn't in order.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo shoved down his guilt at making Calypso cry. He loved her, but she didn't need to know everything. Leo took a while to open up. He trusted her, sure, but that didn't mean that he had to just confess every secret he'd ever had to her.

He really didn't want to talk to her about the quest they'd just been on. Calypso had been stuck on her island for millennia – did she even understand what being bisexual meant?

He threw his arm over his eyes as he leant back on his bed. Then he groaned as a half-finished project dug into his back.

He was too fed up to remove it.

Calypso was one of Leo's first serious girlfriends and he really liked her, but maybe their relationship had moved a little too fast. They had only known each other for a couple of weeks when they got together and Leo couldn't help fearing that maybe it was due to the curse of the island. Maybe Calypso was doomed to fall in love with anyone who landed on her island, and it had just taken longer for her to fall for Leo because they were really incompatible.

Maybe their whole relationship was fake.

Leo quickly stowed those thoughts away. Calypso was worried about him, and his response had been a little harsh.

He just felt a bit… raw. Exposed. Nico had already known about his sexuality, so confessing in front of the son of Hades hadn't been a problem. But confessing in front of Jason (despite the fact that the issue had now been cleared up through his talk with Nico) had left him a little sensitive to prodding.

Leo knew that he owed his girlfriend an apology, and probably a brief explanation. But his sexuality was a matter for another day, one that Calypso hopefully wouldn't mind if she truly loved him.

"Brooding again? I thought that that was my job." Nico's voice was tinged with amusement, but there was an undercurrent of concern that Leo was very much aware of.

"Sorry about that. I'll leave it to you to angst away next time." Nico grinned, and Leo was relieved that the younger boy wasn't going to prod him about his argument with Calypso. He'd apologise to his girlfriend later, right now he just wanted to relax with his friend.

After all, Calypso probably needed some time to cool down as well. Speaking of cooling down…

"Want to get some ice cream?" Nico rolled his eyes.

"Are you three?" Leo stuck his tongue out. He really wanted some ice cream. Sue him.

They padded along to the kitchen. On the way, they bumped into Piper. Leo felt his smile drop, and hastily tried to adjust his face. He probably looked more constipated than neutral.

Piper's kaleidoscope eyes fixed onto his.

"Leo, can we talk for a minute?" Leo looked desperately at Nico, hoping that his eyes conveyed his SOS message, but Nico's returned look stated quite clearly that he thought that this would be good for Leo.

Leo also hoped that his eyes now conveyed the message "traitor" as Nico informed him that he wouldn't eat all of the ice-cream before sidling off nonchalantly.

Leo was left facing his honorary big sister.

"Look, Pipes, I know that I was harsh, and that I owe Calypso an apology." Piper cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth. Leo was really tempted to lick her, just because that was what he always did in situations like these, but he decided that he really wanted to get that ice-cream and he wouldn't get it if Piper murdered him in this corridor.

"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interfered. You can look after yourself and deal with your problems yourself." Leo hadn't expected an apology from Piper. He really thought that Piper was just going to take Calypso's side in some sort of sister solidarity.

"I'm just worried for you. I know that Calypso makes you happy, and you look so cute together." She gave him a cheeky wink, to show that she was definitely playing up the Aphrodite stereotype.

Leo's temptation won out over his restraint.

"Leo!" Piper drew back her hand and gave him a dark look.

"You should have known that I was going to lick your hand eventually. If you put your hand over my mouth then you're just asking for it." She smirked evilly, and then started ruffling his hair.

"Hey, hey, leave the hair alone." Piper stuck her tongue out and Leo copied.

"So are we alright?" Leo cursed the slight tremor in his voice. He prayed that Piper hadn't noticed it.

"Yeah. Anyway, you better hurry up if you want Nico to keep his promise of not eating all of the ice-cream." Leo nodded, and then pulled Piper in for a quick hug that evidently surprised her if the confused look on her face was anything to go by.

"See ya later, Beauty Queen." He then dashed off, heading towards the kitchen.

As he drew closer, he began hollering that Nico better have saved him some. He virtually tumbled through the dining room door on the way to the kitchen.

His giddiness was swiftly supressed as he observed the scene before him.

Nico and Calypso were both sitting on opposite ends of the table. Nico was eating his ice-cream whilst Calypso appeared to be studying the pattern of the table.

It felt even more awkward than it sounds.

* * *

I'm not very happy with this chapter. I'm sorry about the fact that it isn't very good, and for its lateness. College is a pain in the butt. And Leo acts sort of like a douche this chapter. Just remember how hard it is for Leo to open up to people and that Calypso was evidently pressing him for information. With Leo you have to wait for him to open up, you can't really force him into telling you things without a confrontation.

She's not lying. The college we go to is more like the Third Reich than it is an educational institute. You should see a return to normality in terms of update schedules for my friend, though. - Chrom


	27. Chapter 27

I am so, so sorry for how late this is. I know I keep making excuses, but I really have been busy lately due to my Spanish speaking exam. I hope that this chapter makes up for it.

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees : Yay, I'm glad to entertain then.

ObsessedwReading : Thank you :)

Mondmaedchen : I hope that you enjoy the other stories. And I'm glad that Leo didn't come across like a douchebag.

Epiphany Aria Grace : Thank you so much, I'm so glad that you think Leo's portrayal is accurate. I really do want to keep their reactions in character. And I will never judge anyone for loving angst as I love it as well. I'm glad that you liked the bit with Coach Hedge, I love the little moments of concern he has in the books. Lately I seem to be failing at updating whilst doing college work L so you shouldn't really thank me. Is home-schooling fun, by the way?

LONG LIVE BOOKS : I'm glad that you didn't mind waiting considering that it's taken me weeks to update, and I do hope that you enjoy it.

Kris Awesomeness : I hope that's not a problem. I'm trying to set it up so that a relationship between the two in the sequel will be realistic.

The funky she-wolf 33415 : I usually only do that with my sister because my friends would probably kill me for it J

TryMe626 : Thank you, and I'm sorry for taking so long to update.

MakaylaCO : Ah, I'm sorry for leaving it in such a tense way for so long. Please forgive me.

Kaidas : Thanks, it means a lot for you to think that my writing is good. And no matter how long it may take me to update I will not be abandoning any of my HOH stories.

Disclaimer : It is called Fanfiction, emphasis on the Fan.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V

Nico was happily eating his ice cream in the dining room, fully intending to pretend no drama had just occurred unless Leo needed to talk about it, when Calypso came into the room, eyes holding an ageless sadness.

With a sigh, he lowered his spoon back into the chocolate treat, clinking it against the bowl to signal to Calypso that the room was occupied.

The girl's unfocussed eyes finally seemed to come into focus, and they latched onto his own for a moment before she glanced away.

The depth of pain that he saw there made him recoil, aware that until Leo had befriended him, his own eyes had held a similar gaze.

As much as Nico was awful at social interactions, he had a feeling that he could maybe help the Goddess. And if he helped Calypso, maybe she'd make up with Leo, and the son of Hephaestus would be cheerful again.

"Are you okay?" He inquired, trying to make his tone sound less awkward than he actually felt. The girl sent him a smile, though it was tinged with a deep sadness. Also, the usual weird vibe that Nico got from the girl was seriously bugging him. Something about her set the son of Hades on edge, and he wasn't sure exactly what it was.

"I'm fine. Is… is Leo… fine?" Nico ate another spoon of ice cream before replying, hoping that it would fortify him for this conversation.

"He should be, if he makes it up with you that is." Calypso drifted over to one of the chairs (that hadn't been pushed in due to the demigods' haste in trying to defuse the argument on deck after eating) and perched on it, or more accurately, perched on the air above it as she couldn't actually touch anything.

"I hope that is possible." The girl appeared to be biting her lip (Nico had so many questions about the girl's current ability to interact with the world, but he shoved them down for later).

"Look, it's definitely possible." Calypso looked up, and Nico was horrified to see tears swimming in her eyes. He couldn't deal with a sobbing Goddess, he barely knew how to deal with a sad Leo!

"Is it? I seem to keep messing up now that I'm onboard the ship with him. This was so much easier on the island..." Calypso trailed off, tensing up. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" The question was rather blunt, but Nico had to ask it.

"I don't know. I've never really, you know, had a relationship with someone quite like Leo." Nico's hackles rose at this sentence, perceiving it to be a jab.

"What do you mean, someone like Leo?" Nico ground out, eyes plainly stating that this answer best please him or Calypso would be in trouble, even as he dipped his spoon back into the bowl. Nico was a son of Hades, his glare was top notched even if he was clutching a spoon full of chocolate ice cream The Goddess' eyes widened minutely, as if realising exactly how that last statement had come across.

"I didn't mean it to be a bad thing! I mean that I've never had someone so willing to sacrifice everything to save me, yet be so unwilling to tell me anything about themselves. Even Percy's stupid hero complex..."

"Percy? As in Percy Jackson?" Nico had leant forwards, eagerly examining her face, hoping that he'd understood her wrong, spoon paused halfway to his lips. Though a Percy with a stupid hero complex sounded a lot like the boy he loved.

Calypso's cheeks reddened slightly, and her eyes turned to study the tabletop.

Nico was about to demand a response when Leo came stumbling into the dining room, yelling that there best be ice cream left, that Nico better had saved him some.

Then the smile was wiped off of Leo's lips as he observed the uncomfortable scene before him.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo's very finely honed fight or flight response was screaming at him to get his dumb butt into motion and leave the room before he messed up his relationship with Calypso even more than he already had, but the braver part of Leo dug its heels in and refused to allow his legs to move.

Well, refused to let him move out of the door anyway. He needed the good stuff to get through this.

Trying to appear nonchalant, Leo sauntered over to Nico's side of the table, swiping the younger boy's spoon and taking a big mouthful of soothing chocolate ice cream. It was good ice cream, and Leo moaned his appreciation.

"Gods, I don't know how Frank continues to exist without being able to taste this deliciousness." Nico was glaring at him slightly, though he still looked surprised at Leo's sheer audacity.

"You stole my ice cream!" Nico almost sounded like the child that he was, and Leo laughed softly, but he joy was interrupted by a small cough.

He slowly spun on his heel to face Calypso, dropping the spoon back into Nico's bowl, ignoring the son of Hades' disgusted look.

"Um, Leo-"

"Look, Calypso-" They both started to speak at the same time, and both stopped as they realised that they were effectively just talking over each other.

Nico made a sound of exasperation.

"You two need to actually talk one at a time if you want to fix anything." Leo frowned at him.

"Thanks Nico, great advice, I hadn't thought of that." Nico glared back.

"You robbed some of my ice cream and then put the spoon back in the bowl. You deserve all of my sarcasm."

"Oh, come on dude, it's not like I'm diseased or anything!" Nico rolled his eyes and muttered something that was probably highly offensive and that Leo chose to ignore as he moved to face Calyspo again.

"Look, Calyspo, we really do need to talk." His girlfriend nodded mutely, before flicking her eyes towards Nico.

"Do you want to your room to discuss this?" To be perfectly honest, no. Leo much preferred having Nico around, the light banter between them helping to ease his nerves, but he understood that Calypso didn't really know Nico and that this conversation should really be private. Plus, Nico was making a shooing motion with his hands that had Leo rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Just let me grab some ice cream and then we can go and talk." The brown haired beauty that was his girlfriend nodded, and Leo shuffled of to the kitchen in search of his frozen treat.

Nico's P.O.V

As soon as Leo had disappeared into the kitchen, Nico rounded on Calypso.

"Later you will tell me what you meant by Percy and his stupid hero complex." His voice was frostier than the ice cream on the table, and he felt a sliver of regret for the harsh order when Calypso shivered, the sadness in her eyes seeming to increase.

"Okay." Her voce was soft, directly contrasting the tone he had used, and Nico squirmed, not knowing whether or not he should apologise for using that particular tone of voice.

Nico was once again saved from a sensitive situation by Leo as the older boy walked through holding a bowl of chocolate ice cream, drenched in sauce and coated in toppings.

The son of Hephaestus walked to the door, before glancing over his shoulder.

"See you later Nico." He called before walking into the hallway, already beginning to devour the sugary mess in his bowl. Calypso shot him one last infinitely sorrowful glance before following her boyfriend.

Nico's head fell to the table with a soft thump, narrowly avoiding his ice cream bowl.

Thinking about Percy hurt his heart, and thinking of the son of Poseidon possibly being involved with Calypso worried him greatly.

After all, heroes only left Ogygia once Calypso had fallen in love with them. That meant that if Percy really had ended up on Calypso's island, then the Goddess had fallen in love with him. He wondered how Leo would feel if he knew about that.

Leo was insecure enough as it is, Nico just knew that the older demigod would doubt his relationship with Calypso if he found out that she had previously been in love with Percy.

Nico steadfastly tried to ignore the twinge of his own heart at even more proof of just how unobtainable his crush was. Even if Percy didn't have Annabeth (Nico internally snorted at that, like there would ever be a problem between the power couple, this thought turning bitter as Nico remembered where the two heroes currently where) plenty of other girls would be willing to date someone like Percy. And any of those girls would have more of a chance with Percy than Nico ever would.

Heart heavy, Nico remained motionless, head resting on the table as emotional exhaustion overtook him, stealing his awareness and leading him into the darkness of his own mind.

Nico awoke a couple of hours later to Leo's shining chocolate eyes gazing at him mirthfully.

"Enjoying your snooze there Mr Ghost King?" Nico jolted up at that, glancing around in a bit of a daze.

"How long was I asleep for?" He questioned his grinning friend.

"Well, I can't be sure as I was talking with Calypso in my room for a few hours so I don't know hen exactly you fell asleep, but judging by the amount of melted ice cream in that bowl, the lovely pattern on your face and the fact that you are in the same seat that I left you in, I'd say about four hours."

Leo's cheeky grin didn't erase the shock Nico felt at hearing this.

"Seriously?" Leo nodded, grin fading a little as he seemed to become aware of Nico's discomfort.

"You okay?" The tanned boy asked as he flopped into the chair next to Nico. Nico had a feeling that any attempt to lie wouldn't be received well right now considering all the bonding moments they'd been having lately, and decided to answer as honestly and plainly as he could.

"I feel like I haven't slept in days." Leo's face creased at this, smile fully dropping as a more thoughtful look took over.

"Stress does that, I guess." The older boy said after a few moments, and Nico nodded in agreement. He mentally tried to calculate what time it was. The demigods had had their meal around six, and the events after that had lasted no more than an hour, so if he'd been sleeping for four hours than it was probably around eleven.

He groaned, sitting up straighter and rubbing at his face, hoping that the mark from the table had faded away by now. That was then he remembered that Leo had mentioned talking to Calypso.

Nico snapped his head towards his friend, eyes scanning him for any hint of distress. When Leo only stared at him inquisitively, Nico also remembered the fact that Leo had been smiling when he woke Nico up.

"How did your talk with Calypso go?" Internally, Nico winced at this less than delicate phrasing , but Leo seemed to take no offence at his rather direct manner. In fact, the boys lips once again turned up, this time radiating pure joy rather than the mischief displayed earlier.

"We sorted everything out." The boy beamed, and Nico felt his own mouth twitching into a grin. This grin became a little forced when Nico recalled the fact that he would have to talk to Calypso at some point to clear up this whole Percy issue. He had a feeling that Calypso hadn't talked to Leo about it, because Nico didn't think that Leo would be so relaxed if he learnt that Calypso may have once been in love with Percy.

"That's great, Leo." Nico stood up then, eyebrow twitching as some of his joints cracked, protesting the fact that he had fallen asleep in a chair and leaning on table. Although Nico would have believed it to be impossible, Leo's grin actually seemed to grow more after that.

"Thanks, bro," the Latino then stood up as well, grabbing Nico's discarded ice cream before continuing, "though I may have to hold a grudge because of how much ice cream you've wasted."

Nico shrugged apologetically, even though the twinkle in Leo's eyes betrayed that the boy was teasing him.

"Come on, let's ditch this in the sink and then we both should probably head to bed." As they abandoned the dish to be dealt with later, Nico's mind flashed back to the situation of Percy and Annabeth, feeling awful as he remembered his earlier bitter thoughts when he knew that the two were literally in hell right now. That was if they weren't already... No! Nico cut himself of there. He would have known if either of those two had died, he would definitely never be able to miss feeling Percy's death.

Still, cold dread sank into his bones, and Nico found himself grasping Leo's sleeve just before they could part to head to their own rooms.

As they had traversed the ship's hallways, they'd remained relatively silent, not wanting to wake any of their friends and not actually needing to speak in order to enjoy each other's presence. But Nico needed to ask this question.

"Leo, do you think Percy and Annabeth are okay right now?" Regret flooded his system as Leo paled, eyes turning sad. Yet Leo perked up almost instantly after this.

"Of course they are! They are some of the most powerful, smart demigods in the world. They are definitely going to be okay, and as soon as we meet up with them they'll probably get offended that we ever doubted them." Nico smiled wanly at his friend's words.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Leo winked at him, and Nico smirked back.

"Don't get too cocky, me saying that your right isn't going to happen too often." Leo shook his head gleefully.

"Don't be jealous just because I'm awesome."

"Awesomely idiotic." Nico felt his smile becoming more genuine as he walked away, leaving Leo sputtering behind him.

"Night." He called back, laughing quietly as he heard Leo grudgingly reply with a "goodnight, death breath".

Leo's P.O.V

Leo's smile dropped as soon as Nico had walked away, and he laid his head on the wall, cushioned by the crook of his elbow.

Gods, he best be right about Percy and Annabeth.

* * *

So, I'll try to update a bit less sporadically, though I'll probably be updating more later on in June as I not only have my eighteenth birthday coming up, but I also have my A level exams. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that I'll be able to update this again soon.


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